Now Zimbabwe's players will face pressure to play

Clive Field, the representative of Zimbabwe players, has warned that political pressure is likely to be brought to bear on those still on strike to return to work.

Most of the country's leading players have been on strike since November in a bid to force Peter Chingoka, the board chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the MD, to stand down over allegations of serious mismanagement. Large sums of money are reported to be unaccounted for and some players have not been paid for over four months.

The Sports and Recreation Committee's decision to re-appoint Chingoka as chairman of the interim board is a slap in the face for the players who had hoped that the SRC would look on their arguments favourably, especially after it published a report slamming the Chingoka regime last month.

But the strikers now have a choice. To continue their action or to return to work. Field is concerned that a number of them will face financial and political pressure to resume playing, all the more so as many of them are teenagers.

"I suspect that a number of them will be induced to carry on playing because of financial or other issues," he said. "The younger players, particularly, will be under pressure to play. The more senior guys, I believe, will decide they can't carry on.

"It just depends on how far the players are prepared to go now in sticking to their original concerns. If they are, I think it does mean the end because the players clearly won't play under these guys."

The new board will not be in a mood to be conciliatory, and Chingoka is predicted to look for revenge against those who tried to topple him. The players owed money - and the total sum is around US$200,000 - are likely to be told that they pay or they won't get anything owed to them. Those who have already quit, such as Tatenda Taibu and Heath Streak, could lose out altogether.

In a country with massive unemployment and hyperinflation, others are expected to face a stark choice between compromising their principles or facing a bleak future without work. Even if most of those on strike are persuaded to resume playing, it is far from clear if Zimbabwe will survive on the international scene. One source told Cricinfo that even the best side they can field at the moment wouldn't be good enough to beat the second XI of any of the other Test-playing countries. And this will make the other boards, conscious of the lack of marketability of the current Zimbabwe side, sit up even if the personal plight of the players hasn't done so far.

The last word was with Field who admitted it was a grim day. ""I think we're stuffed," he shrugged, "more stuffed than we've ever been."