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The recent criticism in the Sunday News seems to have pricked ZC’s conscience enough to provoke as response, in which they detail all the areas where they’re currently spending money while pointing out that, with domestic matches being free and only nominal admission charges levied for international matches, their income isn’t exactly what it could be, their share of ICC income aside. I mirrored the original report, so in the interest of fairness I’m going to mirror the response - you’ll find it below the cut.
Sunday News - Zimbabwe Cricket sets record straight

Zimbabwe cricket says it is doing a lot to develop the game in the country despite many challenges that include not getting money from gate entrance fees at the match venues.

In a statement, ZC Communications and Media Manager Lovemore Banda said ZC had recently hosted three squads of 16 each in Harare for the B section of the country’s oldest sporting tournament, the Logan Cup. “That number swelled midweek when four squads got into camp for the Logan Cup proper. Until the 20th of next month, we will be hosting four squads of 16 for four- day periods during which we will pay for accommodation, all three meals, water and transport. In the four-day periods between matches, we will be transporting the squads from one venue to another,” said Banda.

Banda was responding to a Talking Sport column written by Sunday News Senior Sports Reporter Mehluli Sibanda entitled: “ZC absolved: But where is the money going?” on Sunday 13 April 2008. In the column, Sibanda had raised questions on where the ZC money was going despite ZC being absolved by an ICC ordered audit.

Apart from the squads, Banda said the ZC resources were also being channelled towards paying umpires, referees, scorers and selectors with more money directed to the purchase of uniforms, balls and other playing equipment, the upkeep of facilities and payment for ground staff and downstream industries. “Add too the full board and lodging that, periodically, we offer deserving journalists who would have requested support to cover the tournament. Add too the lunches and refreshments we provide for the media at all our first-class and higher-level matches, in keeping with international best practice. Before the Logan Cup, we did the same for the Metropolitan Bank Twenty20 Series. After the Logan Cup, we will do the same for the Faithwear Series,” said Banda. “How much money are we talking about here? “Your readers have heard Premier Soccer League clubs complaining about the costs of meeting fixtures. Consider that these clubs charge admission and that clashes involving popular sides attract good crowds and therefore substantial revenue.

“But we do not have that because admission to all our domestic cricket matches is free. When it is charged during the international matches, it is minimal,” said Banda. “Earlier in the year, the senior team went on a trip to Pakistan for the five One-Day International matches of the Mobilink Cup. When the seniors returned, the juniors departed. The Zimbabwe under-19 squad went off to Malaysia in February for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Harare International Airport also saw another national cricket team departing: Zimbabwe going to Stellenbosch in South Africa, in March, for the final qualifiers of the 2009 International Cricket Council Women’s Cricket World Cup.

“After the senior players landed on the 4th of February from Lahore, Pakistan, the next day the Nashua Dolphins of South Africa arrived for Zimbabwe Select’s first match of the MTN Domestic Challenge. The Select side played 12 limited-overs matches that kept them shuttling between Zimbabwe and the various South African franchises until the 9th of March 2008, when the competition came to a close. When we were welcoming the ladies’ team from their global showcase, the men were packing their “coffins” for the Standard Bank Pro20 Series in which they played six games against South Africa’s finest clean-hitters and quickies in the shortest version of the game.”

Banda said instead of the question being “Where is the money going?” the question surely should be “but where is the money coming from?”

“Cricket is our core business. While the face of the organisation is the senior national team, those elite 30 or so less than 30 people cannot service players. Several have to be working in the technical team servicing the 30 and others directly below polishing the next best. Then many more coaches have to be on the ground, identifying and taking through the first paces the raw material from which the next 30 will be processed. Add to this service departments such as Operations, Human Resources, Finance and Administration and you have as big a structure as any modern business organisation. Which is what we are: a business organisation in the sports and entertainment industry.

“Consider, however, that this particular organisation, while national in orientation, is international in operation and then you need other offices befitting a world player such as a department that will handle media demands and service a website.”

Banda claimed that ZC, through the membership of Africa Cricket Association, has offered cricket to help in solving some of our national and global challenges. “We have pegged cricket to be Zimbabwe’s leading sporting discipline. It is an employer, an empowerment mechanism and a marketing tool. Over and above its 300-strong establishment, ZC does, as and when, employ part-timers for example to complement ground-staff say before an international match when there may be need to work on the wicket in-between play and pull covers on or off expeditiously.

“One such instance was in the build-up to the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. In the face of a hostile international corps within the cricket community that wanted Zimbabwe to lose the right of sub-hosting generously extended by the hosts, our neighbours South Africa, the ZC Board asked the Chairman to take a year off from his work and lobby against the move that would have lost Zimbabwe revenue from television rights and tourism receipts, the employment, entertainment and positive publicity we got through having some matches here,” said Banda. In return, he said, the Board granted him a token of appreciation.

Banda said ZC offers assistance to the so-called private schools to maintain their grounds, and has maintained a total of 75 scholarships annually. He said Emakhandeni Cricket Club, one of their Cricket Development Centres, was running, Crescent was under rehabilitation. Banda said that Heath Streak, Dion Ebrahim, Andy Blignaut and others were paid what ZC owed them but they refused payment in Zimbabwe dollars. “The matter is with the lawyers. But that should not have stopped Sibanda condemning the actions of some of the former players who played hide-and-seek when ZC wanted its vehicles back,” he said.

Banda said the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy was being rebuilt and that ZC would ensure that it retains its status of being the envy of other African countries. “Given its state, of course the Academy is not serving its purpose. But the house remains useful and has accommodated the A, women’s and under-19 squads plus the squad of excellence undergoing training with Kevin Curran,” he said. “As a responsible corporate citizen, ZC contributes to the development of local journalism by helping cricket reporters to cover our teams outside the country, in the process rubbing shoulders with their peers and gleaning from best international practice.

“ZC operates from two, not three, centres in the capital: Harare Sports Club and Highlands. Because we are setting a benchmark for Zimbabwe sports administration, we own the latter and several other properties around the country. Structure follows strategy. The creation of the regional manager posts was informed by the reality on the ground. Cricket is Zimbabwe’s fastest growing sport and posts that were adequate when so many played need buttressing when so many more are playing”.

Banda said the ZC media department was not overstaffed. “At its most “inflated”, the ZC Communications and Media department had the head, an editor and two writers plus three designers. The decision was made to outsource design and so the department was down to the first four: disseminating information, servicing the local and international media, updating the ZC website and producing all its publications. Everyone who has been employed in it has been a professional who was hired because they brought value to the organisation. ZC cannot do any less since it has a professional HR department.

“The ZC Chairman does not receive a salary. If there was anything amiss in the payment to him, that would have come out in the KPMG South Africa audit. As would have the issue of the “employee in the marketing department” as both fell under the period of the audit.”