Zimbabwe Cricket announced that they won’t stage the domestic competitions and will also not take part in the international fixtures in the upcoming season.Days after the ICC decided to suspend Zimbabwe Cricket’s full membership, the country’s cricket board announced that they won’t be able to stage the domestic competitions or fulfill the international obligations in the upcoming season.
The team was earlier scheduled to travel to Bangladesh in September for a T20I triangular series against the hosts and Afghanistan. But with after ICC’s decison, the national side will not be able to abide by Future Tours Programme (FTP), which includes playing International cricket. The board also mentioned that the move has jeopardised both Men’s and Women’s team participation in ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019.
SUSPENSION: @ZimCricketv board is ready to cooperate with @ZimbabweSrc and other stakeholders to get Zimbabwe back to operating within the confines of @ICC statutes again as well as to ensure the game is thriving, competitive and financially stable #SaveOurCricket #TogetherWeCan pic.twitter.com/pbb04t2MOV
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) July 19, 2019
“The ICC had also awarded Zimbabwe the right to host another global qualifier event next, but that now hangs in the balance,” the statement released by Zimbabwe Cricket said.
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Zimbabwe Cricket also stated they are ready to cooperate with Sports and Recreation Commission and other stakeholders to bring the sport back into operation within the guidelines of ICC.
“We would like to see our teams playing again as soon as possible and the ZC board is ready to cooperate with the SRC and other stakeholders to get Zimbabwe back to operating within the confines of the ICC statutes again,” the statement added.
Highlighting the effect of the suspension on players and staffs, Zimbabwe Cricket Board said, “In all this, players and staff are bearing the brunt of the standoff and they might be forced to go for months or forever without their salaries and match fees.”
Meanwhile, as per a report in ESPNcricinfo, Bangladesh Cricket Board has said that Zimbabwe’s participation in the upcoming tri-series is not their decision and if the team opts out of the tournament, it will turn into a bilateral series.
Speaking on the development, Zimbabwe cricketer Sikandar Raza stated that the move brought an abrupt end to his international career.
How one decision has made a team , strangers
How one decision has made so many people unemployed
How one decision effect so many families
How one decision has ended so many careers
Certainly not how I wanted to say goodbye to international cricket. @ICC pic.twitter.com/lEW02Qakwx— Sikandar Raza (@SRazaB24) July 18, 2019
The move has also put the country’s women cricket into disarray. Zimbabwe Women’s team tour to Ireland was canceled at the last moment and their participation in the upcoming T20 Qualifier in Scotland seems impossible.
A chance for a ticket to a differnt life, for millions of women out there in Zimbabwe. For generations of girls and wome to come. Vanished in 3 weeks. Okay. Life. Im sorry Lady Chevrons. I led. I tried. ? #LadyChevons #OurStruggleIsdifferentIGuess #RecognitionInThe21stCentrury
— Mary-Anne Musonda ???? (@Mutsa13) July 18, 2019
It’s the women who suffer FIRST and suffer the MOST. We are living this reality now. We just want to play the sport we love. In peace. For Zimbabwe. You see what the @ZimGemsOfficial are doing, making Zimbabwe smile, that’s all we wanted to do too. pic.twitter.com/Yx9bt1bRMM
— Mary-Anne Musonda ???? (@Mutsa13) July 18, 2019
“A chance for a ticket to different life, for millions of women out there in Zimbabwe,” national captain Mary-Anne Musonda tweeted. “For generations of girls and women to come. Vanished in 3 weeks. Okay. Life. I’m sorry Lady Chevrons. I led. I tried.”
The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) has urged the cricket governing body to address the effect of the move on players. “The Zimbabwean players have endured years of hardship under the previous board of ZC,” FICA executive chairman Tony Irish said.
“This has included many instances of non-payment and frequent breaches of their playing contracts. We have asked ICC to consider some mechanism to enable player contracts to be honoured despite the unfortunate suspension of the new board of ZC. Some of the domestic players in Zimbabwe live a hand-to-mouth existence, and there is an important ‘human’ element to this situation which we believe needs to be addressed.”
