Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
LOCAL cricketers contracted to Zimbabwe Cricket for domestic cricket only had something to smile about when their employer decided to pay them an advance on their salaries before Christmas.
Because the players signed their six months contracts ahead of the start of the Logan Cup in Harare on 9 December, ZC advised them that they will only get their backdated full salaries in January since the payroll is processed by the International Cricket Council. As part of stringent conditions, all ZC contracts first go through auditors who scrutinise every agreement before they send it to the ICC for inclusion in the payroll. The contracts for the players run from November this year until April 2021.
After an outcry from the players, who have been unemployed since 1 May, ZC decided to pay them an advance, which was half salary for one month. Domestic cricketers get salaries of between US$300 and US$1 500 a month.
Yesterday, some of the cricketers confirmed they got paid half salaries for one month a day before Christmas.
ZC director of cricket, Hamilton Masakadza said the domestic cricketers will be part of the payroll as from January.
“They(players) managed to get half salary advance for now, in terms of the actual payroll that will happen in
January. The delay is caused by the process that is involved, the auditors have to review every player contract before they send the payroll to the ICC. All players should have signed and sent back their contracts for the process to start.
Because we understand that the players have not been employed for quite a long time, we pushed for them to get something before the Christmas break,’’ said Masakadza.
Meanwhile, the cricketers have to cut short their festivities short as they return to training tomorrow ahead of a Twenty20 tournament in Harare which gets underway on 4 January. The final of the tournament is scheduled for 11 January at Harare Sports Club. Old Hararians is the other venue for the tournament.
National selectors will use the T20 tournament to select the squad for the three Twenty20 Internationals against Afghanistan in February.
Zimbabwe’s first international engagement for 2021 is an away assignment against Afghanistan, which consists of two Tests and three T20Is. The matches will take place in either India or the United Arab Emirates where Afghanistan have set up base since their own country is not safe for international cricket because of terrorism in the Asian nation. — @Mdawini_29