Zimbabwe board bans player representation

Cricinfo can reveal that Zimbabwe's cricketers have been banned by their board from having any player representation.

Under the terms of the contract they all signed immediately before the World Cup, they are not allowed to appoint any single person to collectively negotiate on their behalf, and all dealings with board officials have to be on a one-on-one basis.

One of the players said that this was a continuation of a divide-and-conquer policy towards them which has been operated by Zimbabwe Cricket since it refused to recognise Clive Field in negotiations at the end of 2005. At that time, Field was the official player representative, although after a series of acrimonious meetings, ZC stopped dealing with him.

FICA, the international cricketers' association, has written to ZC several times to stress the need for representation, but aside from an initial acknowledgment, there has been no communication from the Zimbabwe side.

Although the players all signed the contract, they were presented with it and given a few minutes to read and sign, with the threat that were they not to, then they would be kicked off Zimbabwe's World Cup squad. They were not allowed to consult with advisors. One player said that they were not happy to sign, but they took the view that they wanted to play in the tournament, so did so reluctantly.

In a further twist, players have been also barred from meeting together as a group amid fears that there will be more who opt to quit the game now that the World Cup is out of the way. Cricinfo learned that one such meeting was recently cancelled amid fears that players could be reprimanded by the board. There is also concern that monies owed by the board from the World Cup, which have still to be paid, could be withheld were such a meeting to go ahead.