zimcricketnews.com

If you've been following Steven Price's articles for CricInfo lately, you'll have seen his criticism in the most recent piece that the buildings at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy have yet to be rebuilt, following Mark Vermeulen's handiwork. I have to say, my first though on reading that was to remember just how hard it can be to obtain building materials in Zimbabwe at the moment (I doubt the Academy is the only idle building site in the country), and sure enough ZC have responded to the piece with a statement:

"The tender for the building was awarded at the end of last year and construction work is underway now. The contractors are doing the brick work. Subject to weather and the availability of materials, we expect the construction to be through by the end of April.

"The next site meeting is on Monday morning and will include senior ZC management including our facilities consultant, the main contractor and their mechanical and electrical sub-contractors, quantity surveyors and the project manager and structural engineers."

They go on to state that other buildings at Country Club are being used in the meantime - which in itself raises the question of "used by whom"? ZC point out that Kevin Curran is the assigned Academy coach and currently has a squad of 10 to work with, but as ever CricInfo is quick to quote an anonymous source saying otherwise:

"Where is the evidence of anyone being nurtured as Chingoka tells the outside world? Is there a list of people available? If they are in the academy, then it must be taking place in private."

A mystery for another time.
CricInfo - Academy rebuild on course insists Zimbabwe board