Zimbabwe’s senior cricket administrator has said Heath Streak will not regain the national team captaincy as part of a peace deal with the country’s 15 rebel white players.
Reinstating Streak as captain has been a key demand of the rebels ever since the pace bowler sparked the present dispute by complaining about the composition of Zimbabwe’s selection panel.
But Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) chairperson Peter Chingoka said in London on Tuesday: ”There is no reverse gear on the captaincy. The captaincy decision is set in stone.”
ZCU officials have always insisted that Streak resigned although the player’s father — who was once imprisoned by President Robert Mugabe’s security services — said his son had been sacked.
In Streak’s absence, 20-year-old wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu became the first black cricketer and the youngest-to-date international captain when he led Zimbabwe during Tuesday’s one-day international against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo.
A much-changed Zimbabwe side eventually lost a bad-light-affected match by 12 runs but not before Taibu had made an unbeaten 96.
Streak was unhappy with the lack of cricket experience among some members of the selection panel and called for changes, his comments coming against a backdrop of claims the team was being chosen on the basis of a racial quota system rather than cricket ability.
Chingoka showed AFP in London a copy of a letter he said Streak had faxed to the ZCU on March 25 in which the fast bowler threatened to resign if his conditions were not met.
The letter also warned of several consequences if the ZCU did not accept these conditions, including player resignations, tour cancellations by Australia and England and an International Cricket Council (ICC) investigation into Streak’s allegations.
Chingoka, who was in London for a meeting on Tuesday with England and Wales Cricket Board officials to discuss England’s planned October tour, said no cricket authority in the world would accept restrictions on its authority to select a captain of its choice.
”We can’t give up on the principle because of the consequences,” said Chingoka.
The 15 white players have been given until May 8 to resume playing or otherwise risk termination of their contracts.
But Chingoka, who was due to have meetings with ICC officials in London on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the whole question of Zimbabwe’s cricket future, stressed he would be happy to have the 15, including Streak, back on board.
”The door remains open to the players and their representatives to talk to the union in an attempt to find a solution to the very serious problems we are currently facing,” he said.
”Contrary to some media reports, the ZCU has no agenda to drive white players out of the game in Zimbabwe.
”Our first prize is for all players to come back.
”The second prize is that some of them come back and the third prize is that none of them do. We don’t want that third prize.”
Streak also criticised the fact that some members of the selection panel were also television commentators.
However, Chingoka said the fast bowler had raised no such concerns when the likes of whites such as Andy Pycroft, the former Zimbabwe player, had combined both posts.
”How is Ali Shah different?” asked Chingoka.
”Pat Symcox [South Africa] was a selector/commentator, Allan Border [Australia] a selector/director,” added Chingoka, after Streak said nobody in the ZCU should have two roles.
Both Chingoka and in particular fellow board member Ozias Bvute, who accompanied him to London, denied accusations they are political appointees installed at the behest of Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party.
”The ZCU is an apolitical body. We are sports people. There is no political influence,” Chingoka said.
But both he and Bvute refused to confirm or deny if they were Zanu-PF members. Bvute, who said he felt ”villified” and that ”I was not placed, I was elected”, suggested on Tuesday he was a victim of double standards.
”Have you ever asked Heath Streak which political party he is a member of?” Bvute said. — Sapa-AFP