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| Friday, 9 April 2004 |
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Zimbabwe cricket crisis threatens Lankan tour HARARE, Thursday Zimbabwe's players are set to hold a crisis meeting today to discuss their futures following the Zimbabwe Cricket Union's disputed claim that Heath Streak had resigned the captaincy. The ZCU issued a statement last Friday saying that Streak had quit, but he has since denied this. About a dozen of the contracted players are expected to attend the meeting. "Come the morning 11 guys will probably resign," a senior player was quoted as saying in London's Guardian. newspaper. "We're meeting with the lawyers now to discuss a few legal matters, just in case the ZCU decides to take it to court. Our A team is still in Bangladesh and some of them will follow suit when they come back on Friday. You're looking at about 15 or 16 guys getting out of cricket." Vince Hogg, the ZCU chief executive, has been holding emergency talks with Streak and several players in an increasingly desperate bid to defuse the situation. He will be invited to the meeting, along with Osias Bvute, another board member, but the pair will only be told the location at the last possible minute. Hogg admitted that the position was not good. "It is all very tense and volatile," he said. "I am very concerned about it. We are certainly in a crisis situation. I cannot stress too much the tensions here at the moment." Peter Chingoka, the ZCU chairman, tried to play down the showdown. "There are two main issues before the players - the Streak situation and our integration policy. I cannot discuss the board's position over Streak as of today, but I am sure that we can reach a satisfactory conclusion." Meanwhile, Streak was to have a face-to-face meeting with Union chairman Peter Chingoka Thursday in an attempt to resolve the biggest crisis to hit Zimbabwe cricket since it became a Test-playing country in 1991. Streak, who lost his job at the weekend after complaining about the make-up of the national selection panel, was accompanied by his lawyer Chris Venturas and senior players Grant Flower and Andy Blignaut. Senior Zimbabwe players met at a secret Harare location to decide their joint reaction to the ousting of Streak. A Test player who asked to not to be named said there was "a hint of a possible strike, which is still not impossible". The board say they have accepted his resignation but Streak's father Dennis, acting as his spokesman, is adamant he did not resign. Streak had wanted two selectors to step down and said he would consider his position if this was refused. Streak was expected to have to withdraw his complaints about two selectors in return for being allowed to continue as a player, with Tatenda Taibu taking over the captaincy - as has already been announced. A resolution needs to be found quickly. Sri Lanka are due in Zimbabwe for a four-week tour of two Tests and five one-day internationals on April 17. If the dispute cannot be settled before next Wednesday the tour might have to be called off. (Wisdencricinfo/AFP) |
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