Mukuhlani reflects on difficult year as ZC holds first virtual AGM

24 Jun, 2020 - 09:06 0 Views
Mukuhlani reflects on difficult year as ZC holds first virtual AGM

The Sunday News

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
IN the face of going through perhaps the worst year in its history, Zimbabwe Cricket ironically came out in a much tougher position, with the leadership prepared to take the game to the next level.

Addressing delegates during the ZC annual general meeting held over an online platform on Tuesday, the cricket mother body’s chairman, Tavengwa Mukuhlani lamented the country’s suspension by the International Cricket Council as well as the coronavirus as the biggest challenges faced by the organisation during the 2019/20 period.

It was the first time that ZC have held a virtual AGM with all the provinces represented.

“Having ended as badly as it started, the period under review has without any doubt been ZC’s annus horribilis (horrible year). From the game teetering on the brink of collapse to a global health crisis on a scale not seen in over a century, 2019/20 should probably go down in history as a massive write-off,’’ Mukuhlani said.

The suspension of Zimbabwe’s membership over what the ICC had deemed as Government interference in ZC’s affairs saw the country’s men and women national teams being barred from taking part in last year’s Twenty20 World Cup Qualifiers. ZC also had their allocation from the world cricket governing body also withheld until after the suspension was lifted in October.

“Players and staff had to bear the brunt of the suspension as they had to go for almost six months without their salaries and match fees, while the uncertainty surrounding the local game and their means of livelihood surely hit them hard.”

Mukuhlani also lamented the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic that forced ZC to void the 2019/20 domestic season and resulted in international tours being postponed. For Zimbabwe, one of the deferred tours is the lucrative visit to the country by India, which was meant to take place in August.

“When we thought the worst was over, then came the coronavirus pandemic that plunged the world into a crisis like no other, with millions infected and hundreds of thousands succumbing to the respiratory disease,” Mukuhlani said.

This year promised a lot for Zimbabwe on the field of play but Covid-19 has seen tours that had been planned for this year being deferred.

“For us, it was a devastating blow, messing up what would have been a fairly busy calendar for Zimbabwe – something we desperately needed after enduring a terrible start to 2019/20.”

ZC are now in a much stronger financial position having managed to pay off almost all the legacy debts amounting to US$27 million, with the national association close to being debt free. The ZC audited financial reports were adopted during the virtual AGM.

“At the close of the just-ended financial year, we had whittled the US$27 million legacy debt down to US$1 million, in the process breaking the chains that had enslaved our organisation to an unending cycle of financial troubles,’’ Mukuhlani said.

With the huge debts now cleared, Mukuhlani said ZC would be turning its full attention to the revitalisation of club cricket and the re-establishment of a national academy.

ZC acting managing director Givemore Makoni also echoed that the organisation would prioritise boosting its game development as well as domestic and international cricket structures.

“Having successfully navigated a 2019/20 that threw suspension, financial troubles, a deadly virus and everything bad at us, I find pleasure in reflecting on how ZC managed to cope with such a myriad of challenges to emerge in a much stronger position,” Makoni said in his report during the virtual AGM.

According to Makoni, fortifying the domestic competitions will ensure that the national teams become competitive and are able to qualify for global events.

“We are therefore going to strengthen our domestic competitions and our entire pathway to ensure that in the end our national teams, both male and female, are very competitive and capable of qualifying for and doing well at the major global tournaments.”ZC are planning to host Afghanistan next month, subject to Government approval in what is likely to be the only other international action on Zimbabwean soil this year.

@Mdawini_29

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