Internal row boils over again

The seemingly interminable dispute between Zimbabwe Cricket and Takashinga Cricket Club erupted again last week, with both sides accusing each other of underhand activity and being less than honest.

The latest row came about last weekend when Takashinga were due to play Bulawayo Athletic at Queens Sports Club in the final of the national league knockout. Takashinga forfeited the match after they claimed they were told by ZC than there was insufficient money to pay for the team's air fare from Bulawayo.

Speaking to Zimbabwe's Independent newspaper, a representative of Takashinga explained that the arrangements had been changed at the last minute and that ZC had then decided to award the match to Bulawayo Athletic. "On Friday [I was] told by a [ZC] assistant that we had forfeited the match and it had been awarded to BAC. ZC wants to show us that it is the master and there is nothing we can do about it. Gone are the days when people fought for anything. We still want to play but if they do not want us to play, we are prepared to let bygones be bygones. We do not want to fight a brickwall. But the truth will always come out."

But ZC was quick to respond, claiming that Takashinga officals wanted cash to make their own travel arrangements "so that they could organise cheap transport and accommodation and pocket the rest.

"It's mischievous for him to say we have no money," said Qhubekani Nkala, ZC's operations manager. "Right now we are hosting Pakistan A and the daily upkeep for them surpasses the air tickets we had organised for them. I had money and that is why they wanted us to give them cash. It's not our policy to give clubs cash and it is not our policy to let clubs dictate travel arrangements."