Board holds talks with rebels

The first tentative steps to try to bring back the remaining rebel players came on Tuesday when some of them met with Zimbabwe Cricket officials in Harare.

The two sides were reported to have had a cordial meeting, but one independent source said that the three unnamed committee members, who were backed by two lawyers, "were open-minded but very poorly informed by ZC on the basics of the dispute." They said they had not come to negotiate but merely to hear the players' proposals and take them back to the board.

Although ZC has made the right noises about its willingness to make peace with the rebels, it is widely believed that the presence of Ozias Bvute (ZC's general manager) and Max Ebrahim (the chief selector) on the board remains the main, and substantial, stumbling block. Both are seen as being at the heart of the dispute.

Another meeting has been planned for next week.