Board mobilises its forces

Stung by reports that the country's provincial chairmen had met to discuss the possibility of proposing a no-confidence motion against the Zimbabwe Cricket board, Cricinfo has learned that senior board officials have been travelling the country in a bid to quell the rebellion.

The chairmen met at the Old Hararians Club on Friday, October 21 and the result was a lengthy letter to the board demanding answers to some serious questions over the way that it has been operating.

Zimbabwe Cricket initially denied that there was disharmony, but behind the scenes officials are reported to have started mobilising local activists in a bid to undermine the authority of the chairmen.

The main efforts of the pro-board lobby appear to have been aimed towards usurping Max Ebrahim as chairman of Masvingo province. Last week, Ebrahim, who has been increasingly critical of ZC in recent weeks, told sources that Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman, had visited the province to talk to clubs.

In Manicaland, a meeting was interrupted by Supa Mandiwanzira - a former broadcaster with the state-run Zimbabwe Television who now owns his own company called Mighty Movies - who was accompanied by what one eyewitness described as "heavies from Harare". He told the meeting that he wanted to be part of the province's board. The gathering descended into chaos, and at one stage Allan Walsh, the Manicaland chairman, was assaulted. The state-controlled Herald newspaper later stated that Walsh had been replaced and a new provincial board had pledged its support to ZC.

ZC has also begun the process of creating five new provinces, and so the board now appears to be able to muster enough votes to see off all challengers. But some serious issues have been raised, and with the players also at odds with the board, it is unlikely that the lid can be kept on for that much longer.

Any suggestions that the move was designed to help the board retain control were inadvertently scuppered by a comment in the Herald. "Mliswa revealed yesterday that he was now leading the crusade to have other provincial set-ups running by the time the ZC holds its special meeting where they can be duly incorporated." And where their votes will swing the balance.