Cricket elections will bring a few cosmetic changes

By Tichaona Sibanda
17 November 2006

Elections to choose a new Zimbabwe Cricket board will be held Saturday amid a major row that it is a cosmetic exercise, as candidates opposed to the current leadership have been elbowed out of the race.

A nomination court that sat in Harare on Thursday approved a list of nominees vying for the 13 seats on the board. An analyst said all the nominees are known supporters of Peter Chingoka, the chairman of ZC. Once voted into office the new board is expected to re-appoint Chingoka as chairman. He has been at the helm of cricket for the last 12 years.

‘These cosmetic elections will only lead to increasing the dictatorial grip of Chingoka’s reign in cricket,’ the analyst said.

A journalist in Harare said a new constitution will also be unveiled during the elections. The new constitution stipulates that the new ZC board shall be made up of 13 directors who will elect from among themselves a chairman and vice-chairman. Though the elections will not change the management set-up of cricket, the domestic structure has been overhauled to meet the standards set by the International Cricket Council.

The national league is poised for its busiest domestic season ever. 14 sides, split into two groups of seven, will play a total of 45 matches at different venues across the country.

According to our source cricket will, for the first time, be played on a truly national level in the country. The country’s previously overlooked administrative provinces of Mashonaland Central, East and West and Matabeleland North and South will play host to matches of this magnitude for the first time in the history of the sport.

Manicaland, Masvingo and the Midlands, will provide one side each in the new league format. Harare and Bulawayo are contributing four and two sides, respectively.

‘This has always been the wish of the ICC to subject Zimbabwean players to a lot of cricket before embarking on international tours,’ our source said.