Zimbabwe head to Toronto as visa issues resolved

Cricinfo has learned that the Zimbabwe squad will leave Harare on Tuesday afternoon for Toronto on a British Airways flight via Johannesburg and London. They will arrive in Canada after a 30-hour journey on Wednesday afternoon, giving them less than two days to acclimatise before their first match at 9.30am on Friday.

There had been reports that the side were having issues obtaining visas to enter Canada, but it appears that this was not an issue as Zimbabwe Cricket had submitted applications for all those likely to be named in the squad in good time.

It will be a brief visit, however, as next Monday (October 13) the squad heads to Nairobi for the start of the one-day tri-series there on the following Friday.

The booking arrangements suggest that Zimbabwe are not overly confident of making the final of the four-nation T20 Canada 2008 event. That match starts at 1.30pm on Monday and if it runs its distance will finish at around 5pm. Even if they skip the post-match ceremonies, they will have 55 minutes to get to the airport in time for their 7.55pm return flight.

One certainty is that Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, Peter Chingoka, won't be accompanying the team through London as he is banned from entering the UK as a result of sanctions imposed on those linked to Mugabe regime.