Zim Cricket set to clinch funding deal

Zim Cricket set to clinch funding deal

January 24, 2014 in Sport

AFTER mostly bad news for local cricket in the last six months Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) could finally strike a lucrative sponsorship deal with a multinational company trying to establish markets in Zimbabwe.

Kevin Mapasure

While ZC is struggling to fund both national team and domestic cricket in addition to paying staff salaries since last year, the controlling body has been claiming they were in talks with potential sponsors since last year but the discussions had yielded nothing thus far.

This time however IndependentSport is reliably informed a deal is imminent.

More discussions are set to take place tomorrow when the deal could start taking shape after initial proposals.

“Something is likely to come out of the discussions because the prospective sponsors have a keen interest in cricket,” said the source. “They know the current situation and they can take advantage and penetrate the market while helping the game which is in dire need of financial support.”

Cricket players have gone for five months without salaries while coaches have endured eight months without payment.

Domestic cricket was suspended last year after players went on strike protesting over unpaid salaries as ZC failed to tie down a sponsor.

While ZC is hoping to secure sponsorship they are also working to convince the International Cricket Council to release an advance which would come after the T-20 World Cup in March.

The players were last week promised part payment by Monday this week, but nothing has materialised and the strike continues.

With a month before the team travels to Bangladesh for the T-20 World Cup time is running out as the players remain idle.

Zimbabwe will play the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and Ireland for a single place in the World Cup proper.

Netherlands and Ireland are both ranked above Zimbabwe in that format of the game.