28/07/2019
Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza has written to sports minister Kirsty Coventry to ask for 'urgent intervention' after Zimbabwe Cricket's suspension by the ICC. Masakadza's letter follows similar communication from women's captain Mary-Anne Musonda, who had asked the minister to step in and resolve the apparent impasse between Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).While it was the ICC's perception of government interference that initially lead to Zimbabwe's suspension, the leaders of both senior national teams have openly called for the government to step in directly to resolve the situation.The ICC has ruled that the 'unconditional' reinstatement of ousted chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani's board is required to end the suspension, and both Masakadza and Musonda have thrown their weight behind this solution.'It is important to note that ICC, as the world cricket governing body, has made its ruling and at this stage it is pointless to argue whether they were right or not,' Masakadza wrote in a letter addressed to Coventry.'We implore you to get the SRC to give the game a chance and reinstate the recently-elected ZC board,' Musonda had written in her letter to Coventry. 'Police action, anti-corruption action all that can always be done while we are playing and those found on the wrong side can then be arrested. As for now only one decision needs to be made: reinstatement.'The captains' letters follow the statement from the SRC earlier this week, in which it insisted that it was up to ZC to ensure an end to the suspension, and that 'SRC and the interim committee are not required to do anything' in terms of the ICC's directive.'The SRC expresses its total confidence in the ability and willingness of the suspended Board members of ZC in ensuring for an outcome that is in the best interests of Zimbabwe's cricket, particularly the players themselves, in the shortest time possible,' SRC's statement had said, leaving the situation deadlocked as i
