Vermeulen back and looking to mend fences

Less than three weeks after being sent home in disgrace from Zimbabwe's tour of England, Mark Vermeulen is back in the UK and looking to mend fences. Vermeulen, who has signed a contract to play for East Sussex side East Grinstead for four weeks, was kicked out of the Zimbabwe side after the Chester-le-Street Test for what the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) described as "persistent misconduct". It was the latest in a history of scrapes with authority which started when he was a schoolboy and was dropped for pulling up the stumps after being given out leg-before.

Vermeulen admitted to the Sussex-based Argus newspaper that he had to behave if he was to have a chance of getting back into the Zimbabwe side. "My cricket is okay but I've just got to behave myself. If I can do that then I am confident I can get back in," he said. "I've been doing nothing since I was asked to leave the tour so I'm going to be helping out East Grinstead until I go back [to Zimbabwe] in mid-July. I want to do the best I can for them and, hopefully, it will help me get back in the Test side as soon an as possible."

But Vermeulen would have hardly endeared himself the hyper-sensitive ZCU with his criticism of the situation, however valid it might be. "The economy in Zimbabwe is shot to pieces and that has caused them to leave. It's a shame cricket should have to suffer because of it."

He added that Zimbabwe were suffering from the retirement of key players which has weakened the side. "Good players are looking elsewhere to play cricket, which is a pity," he admitted. "There is a superb young cricketer called Scott Brant, who has just left Zimbabwe, and he's not going back. Zimbabwe will keep struggling if it loses its promising young players. "