NATIONAL cricket team batsman Sikandar Raza (pictured) has taken up his dispute with the Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) secretariat to the organisation’s board as he pushes to get a new contract having been denied one last week.
BY KEVIN MAPASURE
Raza, who had been out of the country, returned home to find out that he wasn’t offered a new deal after he cancelled his previous one to play in a T-20 tournament in Canada.
The player and ZC clashed over the weekend over the matter when Raza revealed on social media that acting managing director Givemore Makoni had denied him a new contract.
ZC then responded in a statement explaining the circumstances that led to the decision.
On Sunday night, Raza revealed in another tweet that he had met ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani and was optimistic that the matter would soon be resolved.
“Traveling back to Harare. I met with the chairman of ZC to discuss the best way forward. I can happily say a lot of good things came out of the meeting and I am confident that this matter will be resolved sooner rather than later,” he wrote.
Raza had been ruled out of the tours to South Africa and Bangladesh.
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Raza is one of several players who missed the T20 tri-series which involved Australia and Pakistan and the subsequent five-match one-day international (ODI) series against the latter due to a salary dispute with the local cricket mother body.
After being picked by the Montreal Tigers in the inaugural Global T20 Canada, Raza took the option of cancelling his contract with ZC a month before its expiry, after the local cricket governing body refused to give a no-objection certificate (NOC).
ZC in its response cited Raza’s decision to terminate his contract as the main reason for not getting a new contract.
“First, Raza had a contract with ZC which he brazenly flouted by going to play club cricket in England without first obtaining a no-objection certificate from ZC as is the standard practice in the professional game worldwide.
Secondly, when he did apply for an NOC, which was turned down because Zimbabwe needed his services, Raza subsequently and unilaterally terminated his running contract with ZC so he could play in a domestic tournament in Canada,” ZC said.
“When considering who to offer a contract, the contracts committee does not only look at an individual player’s statistics, fitness and performances, but also one’s attitude, discipline and commitment not only to ZC, but more importantly to Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, Raza did not tick all the boxes and so the contracts committee decided he was not deserving of a contract this time round. The available contracts were awarded to other players who have consistently shown their professionalism and desire to represent their country,” ZC said.
