Zimbabwe cricketer picked-up over arson attack

By Tichaona Sibanda
1 November 2006

A fire destroyed the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy in Highlands on Tuesday night. Police are treating it as an arson attack and have picked up former test cricketer Mark Vermeulen.

The academy which was opened in 1999 was burnt to the ground and damage is expected to run into many millions of dollars. A source told us from Harare that the pavilion and the administrative building had been completely destroyed while the practice wickets and nets were unharmed.

Zimbabwe Cricket spokesman Lovemore Banda confirmed the incident but could not be drawn to reveal much. He visited the scene when the fire was still raging.

‘All I can say at this moment is that police have picked up a suspect for questioning and as a result I cannot say much because that would be sub judice,’ Banda said.

But a source said Vermeulen was picked up by police for questioning after his car was allegedly spotted at the academy a few minutes before the fire. He was in the country after being banned from English first-class and league cricket for 10 years following an on-pitch bust up in the Central Lancashire League and was reportedly set to fly out of Harare for Johannesburg Wednesday.

Coincidentally, a fire broke out on Monday night at the headquarters of Zimbabwe Cricket in central Harare but the fire brigade were able to contain the fire. It partially destroyed the carpets and curtains of the boardroom.

‘Police are now linking that fire to Tuesday night’s blaze. Initially, people thought the fire at the ZC was caused by an electrical fault
but because of Tuesday’s events police believe the events could be linked,’ said the source.

Also destroyed by the fire was the equipment used by the Zimbabwe cricket squad. The team has been using the nets at the academy for its practice sessions in preparation for the tour of Bangladesh late this month.

It is understood police are widening their investigations and are looking at picking up several individuals who have been opposed to Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Peter Chingoka.

‘There are reports that investigations are being widened to see if this was a conspiracy against Chingoka and his team. Already some names have been suggested and police will be going after them in the next couple of hours,’ the source said.

On Vermeulen, the source said it was early to suspect anything because it could just have been a coincidence that he was seen at the academy just before the fire started.