More calls for Chingoka to go

Crispen Tsvarai and Bruce Makovah have revealed the reasons they quit Zimbabwe Cricket in an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent.

The departure of Tsvarai, who was head of ZC's technical and player welfare committee and chairman of the Bulawayo Metropolitan province, led to yesterday's press conference where Themba Mliswa outline dhis plans to remove Peter Chingoka as ZC chairman.

Tsvarai's exit seems to have been triggered by a document he drafted in which he recommended the dismissal of Kevin Curran, the coach, and Andy Pycroft, the A-team coach.

The reasons were unclear, although Mliswa hinted that Curran held an Irish passport. Tsvarai's report was submitted to a ZC executive meeting on September 20 which he failed to attend. The other members of his committee are said to have distanced themselves from his comments.

Although Tsvarai declined to tell Cricinfo the reasons for his subsequent decision to quit, and said: "Should you want to know of the reasons why please contact Mr Chingoka." But the Independent quoted his resignation letter: "I find it hard to continue to chair a committee whose decisions are not respected by what I would call an 'inner board' for lack of a better term," Tsvarai explained to Chingoka.

Chingoka fired back in a typically bullish manner. "You talk about transparency in your letter. However, we are struck by the coincidence of your resignation at the time your [technical and player welfare committee] and the board had rejected your personal and unilateral wishes to dismiss Curran and Pycroft."

Meanwhile, Makovah, who had been the chief selector, revealed that he had also stepped down because of Chingoka. "Where there's lack of policy and lack of professionalism, I have problems," he said. "I have always had problems with fellow selectors, but my main problem is Peter. When a fish dies it's the head that starts rotting."

ZC officials subsequently claimed Makovah had not been reappointed rather than resigned. Cricinfo was told that he had opposed attempts to lure back former players who had walked away during the ongoing crisis, and also that he opposed "too many whites in the team".

Another source told the newspaper: "Selection was chaotic and shambolic ... Makovah was not attending matches yet he wanted to select players. Even in West Indies he was refusing to watch practice matches but he still wanted to have the final say."

It now seems that Makovah was instrumental in the dismissal of Terry Duffin as captain ahead of the Bangladesh series against the wishes of Curran and there were other rows over selection throughout the series.

Makovah has been replaced by Kenyon Ziehl.