Zimbabwe's players sold short

As Zimbabwe Cricket battles to stave off another exodus of players, it has been revealed that while most other Full Member countries have paid their players between 20 and 25% of their income from the World Cup, Zimbabwe's cash-strapped cricketers will only a fraction of the money paid to ZC by the ICC.

Each of the ten Full Members is expected to receive around US$11.5 million from the tournament, and Cricinfo has learnt that most of them will pay around 20% into a player pool. This equates to between US$2.3 and US$2.8 million. However, Zimbabwe's players are believed to be in line for a fraction of that, perhaps as little as 2%.

The added problem they face is that there is little they can do about it, as the contracts they signed with ZC shortly before they headed out to the Caribbean specifically forbade them from appointing any representative to act on their behalf.

The question immediately arises as to what the board is planning to do with the remaining income. Cricinfo research has been unable to find any areas where the investment in clubs and schools which is often referred to is evident. The Zimbabwe Academy, which was burnt down almost six months ago, remains a shell. Despite having not played Test cricket for almost two years and having no major domestic tournaments in 2006, the board is understood to be short of cash, even though it has continued to receive income from the ICC.

The players that went to the Caribbean have still not been paid, and they are not expected to be before June. Despite that, two - Anthony Ireland and Vusi Sibanda - have already quit the national side, and it is quite likely that at least two more will follow in the near future.