Zim preparations for Pakistan in full swing

Sport
PREPARATIONS for next week’s tour by Pakistan are now in full swing after the Zimbabwe Cricket and senior players reached a consensus over the new contracts

PREPARATIONS for next week’s tour by Pakistan are now in full swing after the Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and senior players reached a consensus over the new contracts which will include match fees while the outstanding salaries have reportedly been paid. Vitalis Moyo OWN CORRESPONDENT

ZC and the senior players have been involved in negotiations which affected the team’s training as the players could not train as a full squad since some of the members of the squad were locked in negotiations with the governing body.

Media and Communications manager of the national cricket body, Lovemore Banda, yesterday dismissed reports that the players had staged a boycott over outstanding salaries.

“The players have been training throughout and there was no boycott of any sort. The players had broken camp for a week and they came back together last Tuesday. Since then, they have been training in small groups as senior players were engaged in negotiations with ZC over new contracts. The team trained as a full squad yesterday (Friday) as the negotiations were at an advanced stage allowing all the players to attend training,” Banda said.

Zimbabwe had morning training at Harare Sports Club yesterday and will have other morning sessions today, tomorrow and Tuesday. They will also train Wednesday and Thursday mornings before the tour opens on Friday afternoon with the first Twenty20 (T20) international match.

Only 10 players have central contracts with the governing body while the rest of the players in the squad have franchise contracts. Banda said outstanding payouts believed to have been from the West Indies tour in the beginning of February, have since been settled.

“The players have been paid arrears although there was a delay in other players receiving their money because of the RTGS system. But some of the players have already received their money. The issue of match fees was also resolved and is included in the new contracts,” Banda added. The exact amount which the players will be receiving have, however, not been revealed.

The Pakistan squad is expected in Harare tomorrow for the month-long tour. Pakistan will play Zimbabwe in two T20 matches, three one-day international matches and two Test matches during the tour.