ZC rubbishes Taibu conspiracy claims

Zimbabwe Cricket has hit back at claims made by former captain Tatenda Taibu that the board is attempting to discredit him.

Taibu's comments came after a court appearance in Harare over charges relating to an alleged assault on ZC's general finance manager, Esther Lupepe, in October.

But Lovemore Banda, ZC's media manager, insisted that the action by Lupepe did not involve the board and asked " how can the court then probe ZC finances in a personal case … how can ZC be ordered to open books for audit in a personal case?"

Taibu said the incident came about following an ongoing dispute over payments which he insists were promised to him by the board. "The assertion that we promised to meet the cost of Taibu's family accompanying him to Pakistan is one we have refuted already," Banda maintained. "As we said, we could not have made such an undertaking as it would set a precedent.

"The issue of poor remuneration of players is really a non-starter because each individual player negotiates their contract with the relevant committee and only signs when they are satisfied with the conditions."

The case has been deferred until February 6. Although Lupepe has been asked to provide financial information relating to ZC, it is unclear whether the board will make this available. If it does not, the court appears to have little authority to force ZC to reveal anything.