Zimbabwe players hurt in car crash

Two Zimbabwe first class cricketers - Simba Kusano and Mbekezeli Mabuza - were seriously injured when they were involved in a car crash near Bulawayo on Sunday evening.

The pair are recovering at a public hospital after the accident which involved a minibus being used to transport some of the Zimbabwe and Bangladesh players to the ODIs in Bulawayo. The driver is believed to have swerved off the road to avoid an oncoming car and the minibus hit a tree, rammed into a bridge and caught fire.

Reliable sources have said that Kusano, a medium pace bowler, broke his leg while Mabuza, a top-order batsman and part-time offspinner, suffered a back injury. It is thought he might be able to resume playing soon, but the prospects for Kusano are not nearly as promising. The pair had just signed contracts to play for the Bulawayo-based Matabeleland Tuskers franchise.

Mabuza had returned to Bulawayo after being dropped from the Zimbabwe A side playing against Afghanistan in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Mutare. Last May he produced a stunning bowling display, picking up five wickets to lead Westerns to a sensational four-run victory over Northerns in the domestic Twenty20 final at Queens Sports Club. He was also a member of the Zimbabwe A side that toured Namibia.