After five sessions of fairly uneventful fare, the Cape Town Test exploded into life in the late-afternoon sunshine as South Africa struck back to leave England tottering on 95 for 4 in reply to their 441. In 14 overs England lost four wickets for 43 runs in an hour as Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock and Charl Langeveldt took full advantage of the foundations laid by Jacques Kallis’s 149 earlier in the day.Almost all the the first two sessions had belonged to Kallis, who lowered his anchor yesterday morning and never looked likely to leave harbour until he finally nibbled at one of countless balls he faced which were speared wide of his off stump. And then, just as England seemed to be on cruise control, Ntini removed Marcus Trescothick, and the three more wickets that fell in the final hour turned the match on its head.All four dismissals had the faint odour of sloppiness. Trescothick (28) started the slide, playing an uncharacteristically loose stroke, looking to work Ntini over gully, but instead diverting the ball straight to Herschelle Gibbs (52 for 1).Enter Robert Key, in good batting form according to statisticians – he has two hundreds in his last three first-class innings. However, the most recent of those was more than three and a half months ago, and like a boxer with hours in the gym but no fights, Key looked ring-rusty. He edged his first ball short of the slips and gloved his fifth, attempting to hook Shaun Pollock, to AB de Villiers for 0 (55 for 2).Michael Vaughan, who started the day in the local hospital after being struck in the nets by James Anderson, looked equally out of sorts. Twice he edged through the slips, before on 11 he nibbled and edged to give Langeveldt his first Test wicket (70 for 3). Vaughan’s footwork was uncertain, and with 64 runs in five innings so far in this series his one-day form in Zimbabwe seems a distant memory.
While Andrew Strauss, England’s answer to Kallis, stood firm at the other end there was a feeling of well-being. But in the penultimate over, he dragged Ntini into his stumps and the celebrations on the field and the silence of the large English contingent spoke volumes. He had made 45 – a virtual failure by his own remarkable form in 2004 – and in his innings he had reached 1000 Test runs (only three Englishmen – Herbert Sutcliffe, Len Hutton and Wally Hammond – have reached that milestone quicker) but that counted for nothing as he traipsed off (95 for 4).On a pitch which most pundits expected to be good and remain that way, South Africa started the day looking for a minimum of 400. That they got there, and more, was down to Kallis’s obduracy and some spirited late-order biffing from Nicky Boje (76). England’s over-rate was poor, their line was defensive, and it was hardly thrilling fare for the capacity crowd.At times in this series it has seemed that Kallis has been all that has kept South Africa’s batting from falling apart completely. After his epic innings at Durban, and gritty resistance yesterday, he was even more subdued today aside from a mid-morning flurry of strokes. He was a victim of his own success. Vaughan recognised that cramping Kallis would stem runs and add pressure on the other batsmen, and so his bowlers tried to do just that. An unappetising number of balls passed harmlessly wide of the bat, and for his part Kallis seemed content to carry on rather than to counterattack.England were just about on top until Kallis and Boje combined in an eighth-wicket stand of 104 in which, somewhat surprisingly, Boje took the lead. Much of the afternoon was what pundits described as “good old-fashioned Test cricket”. Those who had paid to watch it might have been less charitable. The sizable English contingent blamed the batsmen, the locals blamed the bowlers. At least the bars did a healthy trade.
Boje might be No. 9 but he has pretensions to be a middle-order batsman, with some justification as he has two one-day international hundreds to his name. He grew in confidence, and just as England’s policy of containment began to wobble, Kallis fenced at one wide of the off stump – similar to countless he had left during his innings – and was caught by Geraint Jones.But he had a tough start as Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard opened up with blistering spells. From the first ball of the day, when Harmison rapped Kallis on the gloves, the batsmen looked far less at ease than they had done. The second ball dumped Kallis on his backside, and before the half-hour was out he had been given a thorough working over.Hoggard made the breakthrough when Hashim Amla was undone by a combination of suspect footwork – once again he was stuck back in his crease – and another poor decision from Daryl Harper, who gave him leg-before when, even before the endless replays started, the ball looked to have struck the batsman far too high (261 for 5). But Kallis weathered the storm, and with an assured AB de Villiers saw off the opening salvo and gradually began to reassert some kind of order to proceedings.Kallis reached his 19th Test hundred, and his seventh in nine outings at home, and carried on remorselessly. While his concentration never wavered, his middle-order colleagues proved less adhesive. de Villiers was bowled by Ashley Giles, using his feet to convert a half-volley into a full toss which he played all round. He made 18 and until that rush of blood looked a good candidate to keep Kallis company for some time (308 for 6). Giles bowled well, extracting considerable turn.Pollock, clearly ill-at-ease with his battered and bruised hands, came and went for a brief 4, Geraint Jones catching a thin but audible edge off Andrew Flintoff (313 for 7).After Kallis departed, Ntini’s innings lasted two balls, but he would have noticed with interest the working over Langeveldt received from Flintoff and Harmison. Langeveldt was struck on the left hand trying to avoid a bouncer, a blow which left him in considerable discomfort.But Vaughan’s wicket was the ideal pain-killer for Langeveldt, and by the end of the day it was England who were in need of something to dull the senses.
St.Kilda all-rounder Nick Jewell will make his ING Cup debut when the Bushrangers tackle the Queensland Bulls at the GABBA on Friday.In the only change, Jewell comes in for Jason Arnberger who will miss with a back injury. His elevation comes after registering his second century last week, in the ACB Cup competition this year against the England Cricket Academy at the MCG.The son of Victorian football identity Tony Jewell and a former Richmond footballer himself, Jewell was looking forward to the match. “I’ve been happy with my improvement over the season and feel I am ready to contribute to the side at the next level. Cricket has always been my passion and to get this opportunity is very exciting”.In other Victorian cricket news, the Second XI travel to Perth on Sunday to take on W.A in a clash likely to determine the 2001/02 ACB Cup champion.Captain Damien Fleming will spearhead the Vics bowling line up after some encouraging recent form against the England Cricket Academy and in Victorian Premier Cricket.BUSHRANGERS ING Cup team to play QLD Bulls at the GABBA on 1/2/02 Matthew Elliott (c), Rob Bartlett, Brad Hodge, Michael Klinger, Nick Jewell, Jon Moss, Andrew McDonald, Darren Berry, Ian Hewett, Damien Fleming, Mick Lewis, Mathew Inness.Victorian ACB Cup team to play WA in Perth from Monday Feb 4-7th Damien Fleming (c), Tim Welsford, Andrew Kent, Nick Jewell, Andrew McDonald, David Hussey, Peter Roach, John Davison, Bryce McGain, Brett Harrop, Anthony McQuire, Will Carr.
If the New Zealand Cricket Academy sent a team to participate in theBuchi Babu Invitation Tournament 2000 to gain experience on subcontinent wickets, they seem to have achieved that already. Afterrocking Tamil Nadu Districts XI out for a paltry 153 on the first day,the visitors began the second day on 34/1.Although Jacob Oram managed to pile on a brisk 54 and Aaron Redmondhelped himself to a sedate 71, the day belonged well and truly toNorthern Districts batsman Hamish Marshall. At the crease unconqueredat the end of the day, Hamish Marshall had a massive 155 to his name.His knock alone surpassed the combined score of the Tamil NaduDistricts XI team. The stocky batsmen who usually bats around numbersix, was in commanding form. Spinners and pacemen alike could notdislodge him as he crossed landmark after landmark. Although he didnot clear the ropes even once in his stay at the crease, he pepperedthe boundary with 19 strokes.Hamish Marshall flourished especially luxuriously in the company ofJames Franklin, who led New Zealand Under-19s not so long ago in theWorld Cup at Sri Lanka. Franklin rotated the strike around well andwhen the partnership was finally broken, the pair had added 120.Earlier in the day, Jacob Oram combined with Marshall to notch up aquick partnership of over 150 from 43.4 overs.When stumps was called, New Zealand had lost 8 wickets, but that washardly of any consequence as they were far ahead of the Tamil NaduDistricts XI score. At 382/8, the Kiwis had added nearly 350 runs onthe second day of this three day game. The New Zealand Academy XI willno doubt press hard tomorrow for an outright win.
Tonight brings arguably Manchester United’s most important game of the season so far as they host Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford in the second leg of their Champions League tie, and it’s all to play for after a 1-1 stalemate in Madrid.
This season has been yet another disappointment for fans with the side crashing out of both domestic competitions earlier than planned and are now in a very tight top-four race that could see the side end the season without a Champions League qualification spot in the Premier League, only heightening the desperation for progression in the European competition now.
With that being said, Ralf Rangnick must impose their best-attacking threats on their opponents to not only get an early lead in front of their home fans but to see out the game comfortably and with confidence. Therefore, the German coach must not ignore how out of form some of the players are currently and select those who have made an impact in the last few weeks.
The player who has put Manchester United in the position of power going into this decider tie is Anthony Elanga, who scored the equaliser in the final moments of the first game away at the Metropolitano Stadium, giving the team the crucial lifeline they needed ahead of their game at Old Trafford.
It’s very clear that Marcus Rashford is out of form for the Red Devils and Rangnick must realise that starting the struggling winger could be more of a hindrance than a help against the Spanish side this evening, especially since he hasn’t scored since January. Albeit more experienced in these pressured games, swapping out the 24-year-old for a young, goal-hungry Elanga would be more advantageous for the team.
The 19-year-old attacker who was hailed a “dream come true” by his manager Rangnick, has scored twice now in the last couple of weeks for Manchester United during a combined total of 38 minutes on the pitch. That is extremely impressive for the £3.6m-rated young talent and shouldn’t be overlooked by the manager when he makes his team selection today.
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Crashing out of the Champions League would be the final nail in the coffin of a disastrous season for Man United, and considering the team are playing at home in the final leg, Rangnick is under huge amounts of pressure to deliver in the decider. If he doesn’t the side could be in a sticky situation when it comes to European football next term.
In other news: Get rid: Ralf must bin £78k-p/w MUFC dud who lost the ball every 3 touches on Saturday…
Australia allrounder Cameron Green has been bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 25.20 crore ($2.8 million/AUD4.2 million approx.), making him the third-most expensive player sold at an IPL auction, and the most expensive overseas player ever.KKR also bought the second-most expensive player at the IPL 2026 auction – Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana for INR 18 crore ($1.97 million approx.).The limelight on auction day, however, was stolen by the uncapped Indian players, with 20-year-old left-arm spin allrounder Prashant Veer and 19-year-old wicketkeeper Kartik Sharma going to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for a staggering INR 14.2 crore each. Both of them broke Avesh Khan’s record in 2022 of INR 10 crore for the most expensive uncapped Indian player bought at an IPL auction. Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi also had a big payday, with Delhi Capitals buying him for INR 8.4 crore.Related
IPL 2026: How the ten teams stack up after the auction
IPL 2026 auction: Green and greenhorns strike gold in auction of contracts
Uncapped Veer and Kartik smash IPL auction records
Nortje buzzing with LSG deal and renewed rhythm by his side
KKR, who began the auction with the largest purse of INR 64.3 crore, had to stave off competition for Green from CSK, who had the second-highest purse of INR 43.4 crore. The bidding, though, began with Mumbai Indians (MI), who had to drop out of the race quickly because they had a purse of only INR 2.75 crore. Rajasthan Royals (RR), who had a purse of INR 16.05 crore, took the bid as far as INR 13.40 crore before exiting, at which point CSK joined the bidding against KKR.Green’s bid took more than ten minutes to complete, and he ranks behind Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 crore) on the list of most expensive IPL players. The most expensive overseas players before Green were Mitchell Starc (INR 24.75 crore) and Pat Cummins (INR 20.50 crore). Green, however, will get only INR 18 crore due to a maximum salary cap imposed by the IPL on overseas players at mini-auctions. The bid amount in excess of INR 18 crore (INR 7.2 crore) will go to the BCCI for player welfare.Green first played the IPL in 2023, when MI bought him for INR 17.5 crore. He scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28, and picked up six wickets. MI then traded him to RCB a year later for the same price; he scored 255 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 143.25, and took ten wickets. Green did not register for the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025 because he was returning from a back injury.Green was one of only two players sold from the first set of batters on Tuesday, along with South Africa batter David Miller, who went to Delhi Capitals (DC) at his base price of INR 2 crore. Jake-Fraser McGurk, Prithvi Shaw, Devon Conway and Sarfaraz Khan were unsold.8:45
‘KKR spent their money well’
The lukewarm bidding continued into the second set of allrounders, with only two of seven players sold. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bought Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga at his base price of INR 2 crore. Venkatesh Iyer, who had been bought by KKR for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, was sold to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 7 crore. Liam Livingstone, Rachin Ravindra, Gus Atkinson, Wiaan Mulder and Deepak Hooda were unsold in the first set of allrounders.During the accelerated rounds later in the day, when some unsold players came back for bidding, CSK bought Sarfaraz at his base price of INR 75 lakh, while SRH outbid LSG to buy Livingstone to INR 13 crore. Shaw was also bought at the very end by DC, whom he had played for from 2018 to 2024, at his base price of INR 75 lakh.There was more action in the first set of wicketkeepers, with MI buying South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, DC buying England’s Ben Duckett, and KKR buying New Zealand’s Finn Allen – all at their base prices. CSK, who began the auction with the second-largest purse, did not buy a player from the first three sets.CSK did not bid for Pathirana, who they had released at a price of INR 13 crore after IPL 2025. The demand for Pathirana began with DC and LSG, and once the bid reached INR 15.6 crore, DC dropped out considering they had a purse of INR 17.8 crore. KKR entered the bidding and priced out LSG, who had a purse of INR 20.95 crore, at INR 18 crore. Having missed out on Pathirana, LSG immediately bought South African quick Anrich Nortje at his base price of INR 2 crore.RCB’s second buy at the auction was New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy (INR 2 crore), who could slot in as back-up for Josh Hazlewood.
CSK did bid for legspinner Ravi Bishnoi, but stopped once the price reached INR 6 crore. RR and SRH then bid for Bishnoi, and he was eventually bought by RR for INR 7.2 crore. Akeal Hosein, the West Indies left-arm spinner, was eventually CSK’s first buy at the auction at his base price of INR 2 crore before their aggressive bidding for the uncapped Indians later in the auction.”It’s a little bit about discipline, we had earmarked those players as being key spots for us so we had to wait,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said. “And it’s very difficult because you see a lot of good players beforehand going at low prices but you have to stick to your plan and in our case we knew we probably had to spend a little bit of money at the back end.”But it’s hard; you sit and watch these good players who could come into your side and make a real difference and when others pick them up you are a little bit jealous. But there’s a discipline to it that’s really important, if you believe in the plan. Otherwise you find yourself in a real mess because it’s like an ice cream store, you’re gonna have a scoop of each and you end up a little bit fatter than what you should be.”From the first ten sets of players, only 25 out of 70 were bought, with Punjab Kings (PBKS) not yet having bid for any player. They eventually made their first bid for allrounder Aman Khan during the accelerated round but lost him to CSK, after which they outbid KKR for Australian allrounder Cooper Connolly as a possible replacement for Glenn Maxwell.There were some high-value buys during the accelerated round late in the auction: DC bought Sri Lanka batter Pathum Nissanka for INR 4 crore, GT bought West Indies allrounder Jason Holder for INR 7 crore, KKR bought Bangladesh quick Mustafizur Rahman for INR 9.2 crore, CSK bought legspinner Rahul Chahar for INR 5.2 crore, and LSG bought Australian wicketkeeper Josh Inglis for INR 8.6 crore.1:11
Watch – Prashant Veer’s family soak in the moment after CSK buy him for INR 14.2 crores
Players bought at the IPL 2026 auction
KKR: Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Dahiya, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Mustafizur Rahman, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash DeepLSG: Wanindu Hasaranga, Anrich Nortje, Mukul Choudhary, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis DC: David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Prithvi ShawRCB: Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satwik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Luke Wood, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk ChouhanMI: Quinton de Kock, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Izhar, Atharva Ankolekar, Mayank Rawat RR: Ravi Bishnoi, Sushant Mishra, Yash Raj Punja, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao, Brijesh Sharma, Adam Milne, Kuldeep SenCSK: Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak FoulkesGT: Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Prthvi RajSRH: Shivang Kumar, Salil Arora, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack EdwardsPBKS: Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Praveen Dubey, Vishal Nishad
Like his German composer namesake, Neil Wagner does not mind a hint of the dramatic. Where New Zealand have gained a reputation for even temper and a lack of on field histrionics, Wagner’s Afrikaner blood gets up at times, as shown by an on-field posture that can look more Dale Steyn than Tim Southee.
‘Olden days’ WACA pitch in prospect
With as few as two Test matches left for the WACA Ground to host before major international cricket moves to the drop-in pitches of the nascent Burswood Stadium, the curator Matthew Page is as intent on keeping things as retro as possible. “With us being the WACA, it’s all about trying to replicate the olden days and provide a traditional WACA wicket,” Page said. “It goes back to the 70s, that sort of thing, so for us every wicket we do we’re trying to replicate those conditions.” Page replaced Cameron Sutherland only a matter of weeks before the Ashes Test two years ago, and his knowledge of the surface has grown since, including the constant historical comparisons. “They changed the clay back to what it originally was about six or seven years ago, and I guess the pace and the bounce has returned since then,” he said. “We’re always compared with the olden days. For us, it’s about trying to get it as close as we can.”
Given New Zealand’s poorly display in Brisbane, where they were bullied by an Australia side as aggressive in deed as they are infamous for being in word, Wagner’s occasionally fiery countenance may be a useful tonic for Brendon McCullum’s side as they seek to fight their way out of the hole they find themselves in.Wagner certainly likes the look of the WACA, a place at which he has never bowled but can vividly recall the exploits of many a fast bowler at the ground. Plans to shift major international matches to the Burswood Stadium and a drop-in pitch mean all pacemen are running out of chances.”I’d love to play Australia, I’d love to get that chance,” Wagner said. “I had a training session yesterday at the Melville club and they told me it was the last two Tests at the WACA or something like that because they’re talking about a different ground. That’s a bit of a shame because it’s quite a nice ground, I loved watching it growing up, a lot of history over there and I’d love to play there. It’s pretty awesome, a very special place for fast bowlers.”Just watching cricket here over the years, I think overseas teams have come here and bowled a bit too short. They get carried away with the bounce and the pace sometimes. Sometimes you’ve got to bowl a touch fuller length, sort of top of the stumps. For us I think the thing is to not get carried away with it. Hit consistent areas and ask good questions for longer periods of time and things will happen.”Even though Southee bowled soundly in the morning at nets to prove his fitness after suffering from an irritated disc in his back at the Gabba, Wagner is still a chance to play. The New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has forecast a five-man bowling attack for the WACA Ground with the spinner Mark Craig batting at No. 7, meaning the pace options for McCullum will be many and varied. New Zealand are also sustained by the knowledge they are chronically slow starters to Test series, but invariably improve as they go on.”As a bowling unit we’ve always complemented each other quite well over past times and our success over the past two years or so is we’ve bowled in partnerships and other guys have stepped up too,” Wagner said. “I think that has made Tim and Trent bowl really well in the past. It was just a little bit inconsistency and a bit of a tough start.”We have had that in the past as well, our first Test we haven’t always started that well and we’ve picked it up as the series has gone on. Lucky for us it’s a three-match series, there’s a lot more cricket left to be played and hopefully we can set it back from ball one in this next Test.”Overall the team will be better for that hit [in Brisbane], being out in the heat and humidity and bouncy wickets, just adapting to everything, it’s now for us to go out and set it right in the second Test from day one.”One man Wagner may be asked to confront should he get the nod to play, is David Warner, the dominant batting force of the Gabba Test and now one of only three batsman ever to have thrice scored a hundred in each innings of a Test match. That sort of scoring can force opposition teams to re-think their strategies, but Wagner said it was simply a matter of being tighter for longer.”I think we still stick to our guns and our plans. If we execute it better for longer periods of time, I’m sure we’ll get more rewards,” he said. “I think our attack is up there with the best in the world. When Tim, Trent and Dougy and the rest of them all get it right – they’re pretty good bowlers. If we can be more consistent for long periods of time, we’ll definitely show that. The boys are up for the task and the challenge in this Test.”Richard Wagner’s operatic Ring Cycle is a 15-hour affair. Success for Wagner and New Zealand this week will require a similarly sustained effort.
Ali Asghar Lobi, the former president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of corruption by a Dhaka court.”Asghar will have to serve 10 years in jail for [ illegally] amassing wealth, and another three years for concealing the information in his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission,” the state prosecutor told reporters. “The jail terms will commence one after another.”He was also ordered to pay a US$14,500 fine or face an additional six months in prison, and his wife, Khusnud, was sentenced to three years for abetting her husband.Asghar was president of the BCB between 2001 and 2006 when the BNP, of which he was a member, was in power. He was also president of the Asian Cricket Council for two years.In January, the government was overthrown by an army-backed interim government. Asghar was arrested the following month as part of a massive crackdown on corruption. In July he received an eight-year term after being found guilty of tax evasion.
England’s Ashes campaign has been given a boost with the news that Ashley Giles has been passed fit after completing his rehabilitation from hip surgery.Giles, who took 10 wickets and contributed useful runs to England’s victory in the 2005 campaign, was a non-playing member of England’s one-day squad in India for the ICC Champions Trophy.The team flew back to England yesterday, and the team physiotherapist Kirk Russell said: “Ashley has been through a tough time, but he worked extremely hard in India and the medical team is very pleased with the progress he has made.”He bowled for extended periods in the nets, completed all the drills we set him without any reaction and is now fully fit and able to take his place in the Ashes squad.”David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, added: “It’s excellent news that Ashley has come through the final stage of his rehabilitation programme and is available again for selection. He played an important role in helping England regain the Ashes in 2005 and I am sure that he will be keen to make an impact in Australia this winter.””It’s been a long, hard road back for me,” said Giles. “I am grateful to the staff at the National Cricket Centre who helped with my rehabilitation and to the England team management for giving me the opportunity to go to India and work with the one-day squad.”It was always my goal to be fit in time for the Ashes tour and now that the moment has arrived I am really looking forward to being part of the Test squad again.”
Six of Mashonaland’s leading clubs are on the verge of ceding from the Mashonaland Cricket Association and forming their own splinter league as the long-running dispute between clubs and board rumbles on.The increasingly erratic Mashonaland board expelled the six clubs – Harare Sports Club, Old Hararians, Old Georgians, Alexandra, Takashinga and Universals – after they scrapped their opening league matches in protest at the way the MCA was being run. They were accused of bringing the game into disrepute. The MCA immediately revised the first division fixtures: of all the sides who played in the 2004-05 competition, only Uprising where included, with the rest made up from clubs in the second tier.The situation turned nasty last weekend when Cyprian Mandenge, the MCA chairman, and Bruce Makovah, the province’s head selector, backed by local policemen, walked onto the ground during the match between Harare Sports Club and Old Hararians at Harare Sports Club and refused to allow the game to proceed. It is alleged that players were racially abused and threatened with never playing for the province again.The MCA now face a real problem. While it has expelled the clubs, the six contain almost all the province’s regional and national players. An official of one of the clubs told the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper: “We have got most of the national team players, and nothing will stop us from playing cricket. We do not need quantity cricket, we need quality cricket. If it means the six top clubs in the country playing among themselves, then it’s actually a good thing for our cricket.”Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket’s managing director, told reporters that the board would only get involved when a formal notification of events was presented to it. “What we have been hearing are just rumours and we do not work on the basis of rumours,” he said. “Mashonaland is an independent body and there has to be some level of autonomy. But it is certainly a cause for concern for us when our affiliates are squabbling.”The problem affects ZC more than those comments suggest. Mandenge, as chairman of the MCA, is on the board of ZC, and Makovah was named as a national selector, although the appointment is on hold because of procedural anomalies. If the pair, as a number of witnesses claim, did threaten and abuse players, it raises serious image issues for Zimbabwe Cricket at a time it has done much to publicly clean up its act.