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Graeme Smith, the South African captain, will not feature in the three-match ODI series after failing to recover from a finger injury

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2010Graeme Smith, the South African captain, will not feature in the three-match ODI series after failing to recover from a finger injury.”I am going to assess it again when the team gets back home from India,” Smith said. “It has been a bit frustrating last year-and-a-half with my two little fingers which have occasionally broken. The bone needs time to heal.”Michael Owen-Smith, South Africa’s media manager, said that Smith would fly home after the Kolkata Test and that Jacques Kallis would lead in the series. An in-form Hashim Amla, originally not named in the ODI squad, will stay back as Smith’s replacement.”Doctors have advised Smith 10 days’ rest to recover from the fracture in his left little finger,” Owen-Smith said. “He is returning home and [Hashim] Amla will be added to the side. [Jacques] Kallis will lead the side in Smith’s absence.”Smith had picked up a freakish injury to the little finger on his left hand during fielding drills two days ahead of the Kolkata Test. Subsequent MRI scans showed it was a bone fracture but Smith was passed fit for the match.Mark Boucher, who did not play the second Test after suffering fresh back problems during the team’s final practice session, will stay on as South Africa travel to Jaipur on Friday for the first ODI. The team management was hopeful he be available for Sunday’s match.”Mark Boucher is on track with his recovery, and we’re confident that he’ll be able to play on Sunday,” Owen-Smith confirmed.

Preview for the fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi

The Preview by Sidharth Monga26-Dec-2009Match factsSunday, December 27
Start time 09:00 (03:30 GMT)India sealed the series in Kolkata, but will want to get rid of the habit of losing dead rubbers•AFPBig PictureIt’s dead-rubber time again. Since MS Dhoni became captain, India have won seven of the eight bilateral ODI series they have played. Keeping aside the series against England, Australia and West Indies – where last matches could not be played out – India have played four dead-rubbers and lost all four. With Dhoni coming back from his ban, India would want to set that blip right in Delhi.The visitors, though, will be playing for much more. They came here with the strongest Sri Lankan squad to have toured India. The final balance sheet will give them reasons aplenty to feel bitterly disappointed: they are yet to win a Test in the country, or an ODI series. What the balance sheet won’t show is how well they managed despite a plethora of injuries to key players and how they could easily have been 2-0 up despite having to chase 415 and 302 in the first two matches. Having lost Muttiah Muralitharan, Angelo Mathews, Thilan Thushara and Chanaka Welegedara to injuries, this was not as bad an effort as the scoreline would suggest.After the fourth ODI, Sangakkara said this was the most competitive they had ever been in India, and yet they came up short. Sangakkara will want to leave with good memories, a final stamp of competitiveness in Delhi, a good performance and not a whimper to remember the tour by.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India – WWLWL
Sri Lanka – LLWLL
Watch out for…Upul Tharanga: With big-hitters all around him, and a bold decision that put him in Sanath Jayasuriya’s spot at the top of the order, Tharanga would have been under pressure coming into the series. If he was, he is yet to show it. With 295 runs at 73.75, he is behind only Tillakaratne Dilshan in terms of run-scoring. A definite contender for the Man-of-the-Series award if he can put in another strong show.Sachin Tendulkar: What Tharanga has been to Dilshan, Tendulkar has been to Virender Sehwag. For a second fiddle, 216 runs at 72 is not a bad job. Having rested for the tri-series in Bangladesh, Tendulkar will want to make the most of his last ODI innings in a while.Team newsDhoni was named in the squad for the final ODI, which should mean India have no intentions of resting him. His coming back should be the only change in the batting line-up, because India don’t have any reserve batsmen. Harbhajan Singh could be rested, though, and this would be the best opportunity to give Sudeep Tyagi a debut.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Sudeep Tyagi, 11 Ashish Nehra.Their opening problem solved, Sri Lanka are left looking for one more middle-order mainstay to go with Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Samaraweera and Jayasuriya have all disappointed there, and that will be the only major decision to make. Thissara Perera and Suranga Lakmal should retain their places, while Lasith Malinga will be under pressure to hold his.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 and 6 two out of Sanath Jayasuriya, Chamara Kapugedera and Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Thilina Kandamby, 8 Thissara Perera, 9 Suraj Randiv, 10 Lasith Malinga/Ajantha Mendis, 11 Suranga Lakmal.Pitch and conditions”We wanted to win the game and finish the series off in Kolkata as I am not sure of the wicket in Delhi,” Sehwag said after the fourth ODI. That’s how the Kotla track has been this year: low and slow throughout the Champions League, and if it was slightly truer in the Australia ODI, the dew later in the night reminded Ricky Ponting of the wettest conditions he had ever played in. While the early start should take care of the dew, it will bring with it a chilly, foggy start. The pitch remains an unknown, and could tempt teams to play two spinners. Vijay Bahadur Mishra, the curator, predicts scores of around 250, which is an improvement on the Champions League matches, and the one against Australia.Stats and triviaBetween them, Dilshan and Sehwag have scored 537 runs so far, off 418 deliveries. Fancy their opening together?Harbhajan Singh and Suraj Randiv have managed the improbable in the series: they have gone for just 5.07 and 5.03 an over respectively. Welegedera (5.59) and Ravindra Jadeja (5.47) are the two other main bowlers to have gone for less than six.In 59 innings since June 10, 2007, Mahela Jayawardene has scored one century, that while opening the innings. Over that period his average is 25.1 and strike-rate 75.83, as opposed to 32.02 and 76.86 overall.India have played two ODIs against Sri Lanka at the Kotla, and split the spoils. The second of those matches, during the 1996 World Cup, featured a vicious assault from Jayasuriya which signalled the end of Manoj Prabhakar’s career.Quotes”We had so many debutants on our tour and some of them have really stepped up and that promises better things on future tours. This is the most competitive we have been in India since I debuted.”
“It’s very important that youngsters like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja get going and play 18-19 matches ahead of the World Cup in 2011. If we get the full strength side we can win the World Cup.”

Eddie Howe has requested that a centre-back and full-back be signed in January amid Newcastle United’s defensive struggles. 

That’s according to Chris Waugh, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic.

The lowdown

Newcastle find themselves rock bottom of the Premier League after suffering a seventh defeat in 13 matches on Saturday.

Their tally of 15 goals scored is actually better than seven teams, including Wolves and Tottenham in sixth and seventh positions respectively. However, it’s their league-worst defensive record which is costing them – they’ve shipped 29 goals so far, an average of more than 2.2 per game.

Continue at the current rate, and they could concede 85 before the end of the season. For context, Derby County’s 11-point side in 2007/08, statistically the worst in Premier League history, shipped 89.

The latest

In tweeting a link to his article for The Athletic outlining the Newcastle manager’s transfer wishes, Waugh said that “Howe wants defenders in January” but fears that it “could be too late by then” to fix a “porous, ageing & error prone defence”.

A further tweet from the journalist claimed that centre-backs and full-backs are ‘being scouted’ heavily by the club’s recruitment staff, with Howe regarding these reinforcements as crucial.

Waugh added that scouts have been scanning Europe for players entering the last six, or last 18, months of their contracts, while the manager also has some British-based targets in mind.

The verdict

It’s hard to argue with Howe’s assessment, but who could Newcastle actually end up signing?

The club are said to be ‘reasonably confident’ of striking a deal for Burnley’s James Tarkowski, who has failed to agree a new deal at Turf Moor. The Clarets defender is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, while one potential full-back target in Kieran Trippier is rated at £18m.

Tarkowski featured in the WhoScored Premier League team of the season for 2020/21, while the Atletico Madrid right-back has been capped 35 times by England.

The duo also boast plenty of English top-flight experience, with 171 and 107 appearances respectively in the division, so both could be ideal recruits for January if Newcastle can persuade them to join the Howe revolution.

In other news, this Newcastle trio struggled against Arsenal

It took last-pair heroics from Hiren Varaiya and Alfred Luseno to help Kenya scrape to a one-wicket win over Uganda

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2009Kenya 129 for 9 beat Uganda 126 by one wicket
ScorecardKenya took an unassailable 2-0 lead in their series against Uganda, but it took last-pair heroics from Hiren Varaiya and Alfred Luseno to help them scrape to a one-wicket win.It all appeared to be going to plan when Uganda were stuck in and , after a solid opening stand of 34, were bowled out for 126. Once again Kenya’s bowlers did what was asked of them but, not for the first time, their batsmen failed to meet expectations.Seren Waters’ return to international colours ended with a duck, although a breezy 20-ball 24 from David Obuya appeared to have calmed the nerves, and even when the in-form Rakep Patel fell for 17, at 56 for 3 a win still appeared well within reach.But the middle order offered nothing as Alex Obanda (14), Maurice Ouma (7), Jimmy Kamande (5) and Shem Obado (0) came and went, and at 77 for 7 Uganda sensed an upset.Nehemiah Odhiambo and Varaiya then added 33 for the eighth wicket before Odhiambo and Lucas Oluoch fell in quick succession. Eleven were needed and the last pair managed to get them, but it was a far from convincing effort.Kenya will have to end the series with a much better display tomorrow if the critics are to be silenced.

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as the new Aston Villa manager last week, the club have already been linked with a host of players in the upcoming transfer window, with the likes of Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo all being touted with moves to Villa Park this winter.

However, in order to make space for the club’s potential incoming signings, the 41-year-old may well have to look to move a number of the current Villa squad on come January, with one name likely to be high on the manager’s list of outgoing candidates being that of Keinan Davis.

Despite having made his debut for the club as an exciting 18-year-old prospect back in 2017, the centre-forward has failed to kick on in his professional career at Villa Park, still yet to enjoy what could be considered as his breakout season in first-team football.

Indeed, in his first season spent predominantly with the senior squad, the £2.7m-rated striker scored three goals and provided four assists over his 30 appearances in all competitions, returns which suggested that the former England U20 international could have the potential to go on and become a first-team regular.

However, the 23-year-old would ultimately make only 45 more appearances over the following three campaigns, scoring just three goals and registering three assists in the process, as the centre-forward found himself pushed further and further down the Aston Villa pecking order, while his returns did nothing to convince Dean Smith that he deserved a spot in the manager’s starting XI.

This is a lesson that Steven Gerrard must learn from, as, over the past four seasons the £25k-per-week Davis has consistently proven that he is not a player of the standard required at Villa Park.

Indeed, fans of the club also agree with this assessment, as, in a poll ran on Football FanCast, the vast majority of supporters made their feelings known that they do not believe the player who Jack Grealish once dubbed as “unplayable” has a future at their club.

As such, Gerrard simply must axe the 23-year-old in January, as his place in the squad, as well as his rather hefty weekly wage, could be put to much better use by the 41-year-old manager.

In other news: Lange could transform Gerrard’s AVFC by signing “frightening” £20m gem likened to Mane

The spate of low scores at the Feroz Shah Kotla continued, as the Cape Cobras faltered in their pursuit of a modest 114 to lose by 30 runs

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya19-Oct-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Dirk Nannes cracked a helmet during his fiery spell•Global Cricket Ventures-BCCIThe spate of low scores at the Feroz Shah Kotla continued on Monday with the Cape Cobras collapsing in their chase of 115 to lose by 30 runs, in the bargain posting the tournament’s lowest total. The good news for them, though, was that they finished second in League B and will play their semi-final against Trinidad and Tobago in Hyderabad, avoiding the dodgy Kotla pitch. There was good news for Delhi Daredevils, too – they were already out of the tournament but ended on a high and gave their fans something to cheer.With the pitch behaving as expected – the ball coming on slowly and the bounce uneven – bowlers from both teams stuck to a plan similar to that adopted by other teams here. While pace helped Cobras restrict Delhi’s batsmen, the home team relied on their spinners to turn the tide and pick up the big wickets – Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Justin Ontong. Gautam Gambhir, aware of the tricky pitch, opted to open the bowling with Tillakaratne Dilshan and the turn was evident in his second delivery as he trapped Gibbs in front to one that shot in from outside off. Duminy, charged with the responsibility of guiding the innings after Henry Davids’ departure, was castled by Amit Mishra to one that kept extremely low, and Ontong was bowled through the gate, deceived by Dilshan’s flight.Strangely enough, though, the flow of each innings was altered by run-outs that prevented a par score on this track. Dinesh Karthik’s attacking 23 was ended by an all-too-familiar blunder by his partner Owais Shah, while Henry Davids’ dismissal off a direct hit from Pradeep Sangwan at short third man – after putting on an aggressive 27 with Duminy – proved decisive in getting Delhi back in the game.Meanwhile, Dirk Nannes went about his job with typical efficiency; having uprooted Andrew Puttick’s off stump in his second over, he delivered immediately on return for his second spell. Ryan Canning was bowled while attempting a pull and Claude Henderson failed to dig one out of the blockhole. At 78 for 8, there was only one result possible and Yogesh Nagar made swift work of the tail.Delhi’s score was boosted by Shah, who made amends for Karthik’s dismissal with some aggression at the death. He broke a 10-over boundary drought with a six over long-on off Ontong, and helped snatch 35 off the last four overs to give his bowlers something of a target.Karthik had launched a counter-attack after Rory Kleinveldt – who kept a tight line and offered little width – had reined in Delhi by dismissing the openers. After seeing off three overs amid the pressure of a declining run-rate, he stepped up to dispatch Kleinveldt for three consecutive fours. Each delivery varied in length but Karthik adapted brilliantly; a short one was pulled over midwicket, a good-length delivery was driven on the up and a slower ball bowled full was clattered over extra cover. His dismissal pegged back Delhi further, but Shah’s surge towards the end of the innings took them to what turned out to be a match-winning total.While the Hyderabad semi-final between T&T and Cobras promises to be a high-scoring one, the two Australian teams, Victoria and New South Wales, will be wary of what is likely to be on offer in Delhi, with the pitch spoiling a game designed for big hits.

A round-up of the second day’s action of the seventh round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2009-10

Cricinfo staff16-Nov-2009Group A
When the top two clash, expect an exciting match on the cards. As events unfolded on the second day at the Diamond Club Ground, both Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) sweated over first-innings points. Resuming on 10 for 1, HBL were buoyed by Sham Massod’s 61 at the top of the order, but right-arm fast bowler Asad Ali’s 6 for 98 reduced them to 191 for 8. But defining contributions from Kamran Hussain (63), Abdur Rehman (45) and Fahad Masood (30 not out) ultimately helped HBL tiptoe past SNGPL’s first-innings total of 245.National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) took the patient route in search of a first-innings lead against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in Rawalpindi. Mohammad Talha was the wrecker-in-chief, picking up a five-for, as KRL were bowled out for 353, after adding 34 to their overnight score. Imran Javed was the star during NBP’s reply, compiling 60 off 132 balls, and putting together an unbeaten stand of 103 with captain Naumanullah (42 not out). NBP finished the day with seven wickets in hand, still 180 shy of first-innings points.It was the turn of captain Saeed Bin Nasir to score a hundred, following Azeem Ghumman’s stellar show the previous day as Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) powered their way to a huge total batting first against Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. While Ghumman could add 40 to his overnight score of 143, Nasir smashed 11 fours en route to 101. Having declared on 422 for 6, SSGC then proceeded to remove the top three Lahore batsmen, to leave them tottering at 130 at the end of the day.A superb bowling spell by Tabish Khan could not rescue Karachi Whites, as they surrendered first-innings points to Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex . Tabish finished with 6 for 90, but every contribution from the WAPDA middle and lower orders were made to count, as they nosed ahead of Karachi’s first-innings total of 170, to finish on 222. Opener Mohtasim Ali (76) and wicketkeeper Mohammad Hasan (65) easily erased the deficit with a second-wicket stand of 146, but the WAPDA bowlers hit back with four wickets as Karachi took stumps with the score on 196.Zulqarnain Haider was in fine form for Zarai Tarqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) and his century gave them the upper hand against Pakistan Customs at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. His 161 off 302 balls comprised 21 boundaries as ZTBL powered on from 224 for 8 to finish on 358. The good work was carried on by Kashif Daud during the reply, as the right-arm fast bowler sent back three of the top six Customs batsmen, to leave them in trouble with a 215-run deficit.Group B
Faisalabad fast bowler Ahmed Hayat took 5 for 77 to limit Karachi Blues to 293 for 8 on the opening day at the National Stadium. Five Karachi batsmen got off to starts but only Adnan Baig scored more than 50. His 71 was the top score of an innings that slumped to 166 for 5 before picking itself up to reach 293. Tanvir Ahmed, the No. 9 batsman, scored an unbeaten 37 off 50 balls to take the innings into the second day.Sialkot restricted Rawalpindi to 215 in their first innings at the Jinnah Stadium. Resuming on 115 for 4, Rawalpindi slumped after their captain Naved Ashraf was dismissed for 59. Sialkot bowlers Naved Arif and Bilawal Bhatti took four wickets each but their batsmen’s poor first-innings performance meant that Rawalpindi still had a lead of 108. Sialkot wiped out that deficit by reaching 153 by stumps on the second day but lost four second-innings wickets. Ayaz Tasawwar was unbeaten on 52 and Sialkot will look to him to stretch the lead, which is presently 45.Islamabad’s bowlers dismissed Peshawar cheaply in the first-innings at the National Ground, enabling their team to take a firm grip on the match by stumps on the second day. Peshawar resumed on 47 for 2 and were soon skittled for 156, conceding a first-innings lead of 100. Nasrullah Khan, who finished with 54 for 5, reduced them to 107 for 8 and only a 36-ball 40 from No. 10 Nauman Habib lifted the innings at the end. Habib, and his new-ball partner Riaz Afridi, took two wickets apiece to dent Islamabad’s reply but the hosts reached 174 for 5, with a strong overall lead of 274.Lahore Ravi opener Kashif Siddiq missed out on a century but his valuable 95 at the top allowed his team to edge a lead against Quetta in Lahore. Siddiq was eventually one of Arshad Khan’s five wickets and the offspinner kept chipping away at the Lahore line-up. Mohammad Asim contributed an unbeaten 70 in the middle order and the hosts ended the day on 264, leading by 44 runs with only two wickets in hand.Mohammad Hafeez remained unbeaten on 84 but Multan struggled in their reply to Abbottabad’s first-innings total of 300 at Okara. Several other middle-order batsmen got starts but failed to make it count as Junaid Khan took 3 for 61 to restrict Multan to 207 for 7. Armaghan Elahi and Khalid Usman also took two wickets apiece for Abbottabad. Earlier in the day Multan had been dismissed for 300 after resuming on their overnight score on 279 for 9.

Sreesanth, the Rest of India fast bowler, has been fined 60% of his match fee for using offensive language towards a player during the Irani Cup match against Mumbai in Nagpur

Sriram Veera in Nagpur04-Oct-2009Sreesanth, the Rest of India fast bowler, has been fined 60% of his match fee for using offensive language towards a player during the Irani Cup match against Mumbai in Nagpur. Dhawal Kulkarni, the Mumbai seamer, was let off with an official warning for instigating the bowler.KP Bhaskar, the match referee, held the hearing on Saturday evening and announced his decision today. The verdict on Sreesanth ran thus: “You are being charged under clause 2.8 of level 2 for using language that is obscene, offensive, or of a generally insulting nature to another player, umpire, referee, team official or spectators … You are being fined 60% of [your] match fee and a strict warning that next time [there is] a breach in the code of conduct, you shall be charged under level 3 offense.” A level 3 offense would lead to a ban from some games, which would be at the discretion of the match referee.The incident occurred on the third morning, when Mumbai were batting. Kulkarni took a single off Sreesanth and words were exchanged as he crossed over. Kulkarni said a few words and an animated Sreesanth dragged himself into a verbal tiff. The umpires Shavir Tarapore and Amiesh Sahiba quickly got together to settle the situation but they later reported both to the match referee.Sreesanth has already been in the dock in the past for his publicised spat with Harbhajan Singh during the IPL and various other run-ins with opposition and umpires. During this Irani Cup, apart from his stand-off with Kulkarni, he was also involved in an exchange of words with Ramesh Powar. Both were seen taunting each other but Sreesanth later said it was just a friendly joust with his IPL team-mate and that neither of them crossed the line.

Leeds United defender Robin Koch has provided a positive update on his injury recovery, confirming that his return will hopefully arrive ‘as soon as possible’.

The Lowdown: Koch missing for months

The 25-year-old has made just one appearance this season, having been injured in the opening Premier League game away to Manchester United in August.

It means Koch has now been absent for more than two months with a hip issue and he underwent surgery on the problem in Philadelphia last week.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Defender provides update

Taking to Twitter on Saturday night, following Leeds’ 1-1 draw at home to Wolves, the centre-back gave a promising update on his road back into the first team.

Kock tweeted: “Last week I underwent minor surgery in Philadelphia to correct problems with my hip. I have already started rehabilitation training here and I am giving everything every day to be able to get back on the pitch as soon as possible and help my teammates.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-21/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

While Koch may not necessarily be a guaranteed starter for the Whites, having him back in the fold in the coming weeks will act as a big boost.

Marcelo Bielsa is without a number of important figures from last season and it is showing on the pitch in Leeds’ ailing results, with Koch very much one of those.

His return will allow Bielsa to rotate the squad more and give the manager more options, both in defence and midfield, having been hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Noel Whelan in the past.

In other news, three Leeds players disappointed in the 1-1 draw with Wolves – find out who they are here.

Tatenda Taibu has been banned for ten matches after an internal Zimbabwe Cricket hearing found him guilty of an offence for which he had already been cleared in court

Martin Williamson22-Jul-2009Extracts from the hearing findingsTatenda Taibu, was found guilty by this Committee of misconduct. The position is worsened by the fact that the Respondent’s defence is based on spurious allegations which are not worthy of belief at all. Assault, however minor, by an employee on another senior employee is a serious case of misconduct which ordinarily would attract dismissal from employment. This shows a lack of respect for authority and a negative attitude towards one’s employer … he has however not shown any contrition for his behavior. If anything he has shown contempt for his superiors by making unsubstantial allegations.

In view of the above and the fact we have alluded to that he is a young man with a bright future ahead of him, we find ourselves inclined to tamper justice with mercy and not recommend the ultimate penalty of dismissal which penalty is at our disposal. We therefore recommend to Management of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union that, the Respondent be suspended from participating in 10 ODI matches with immediate effect.Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu has been banned for ten matches after an internal Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) hearing found him guilty of an offence for which he had already been cleared in court. However, Cricinfo has learned that although a Harare court dismissed charges that Taibu had assaulted Esther Lupepe, Zimbabwe Cricket’s general finance manager, at a travel agents last November, Taibu himself has admitted that the claims were in fact true and that he had lied to the magistrate.”Soon after the incident occurred, I personally enquired why this had happened, and Tatenda confessed to me that he had assaulted Esther and did not know what had come over him,” Ozias Bvute, ZC’s chief executive told Cricinfo. “He further asked for me to intervene by arranging a meeting with Esther and her husband in order for him to apologise. I tried to arrange the meeting between the three parties but Esther and her husband were not prepared to meet with Tatenda.”In a letter to Bvute, Taibu wrote that he had gone to the travel agents to collect money owed to him to pay for an operation. “Lupepe … was non-sympathetic and due to the pressing scenario … did not take it kindly to this behaviour and unprofessional manner of the finance department, and thus reacted in the manner I did.”The matter went to court when Lupepe decided to file charges, but before the verdict was handed down, a three-man internal disciplinary hearing called by ZC found Taibu guilty.”At the time we decided to wait for the court case to end before making the outcome of the internal hearing public,” Bvute said. “Subsequently, I held a meeting with Tatenda advising him of the outcome of the internal hearing. I asked Tatenda why his lawyer had made all the allegations that he had made against ZC and most importantly why Tatenda had retracted his earlier statement where he had indicated that he had assaulted Esther.”Tatenda’s words were ‘I did not intend to tell lies, I advised my lawyer what had happened and my lawyer said to me ‘your job is to play cricket and my job is to defend you, therefore leave the rest to me’.’ I enquired if he was comfortable about having lied to the courts and he indicated that he was not, but that given the position he was in, he had to defend himself to avoid prosecution.”A full ZC board meeting on June 23 discussed the situation and it was decided to proceed with the punishment handed down by the disciplinary hearing as it was “a true reflection of the process”.”For the record, ZC as an entity does not harbour any ill-feeling towards Tatenda,” Bvute said. “He is a product of our development programme and we have supported his growth from when he was a school boy, we therefore have no desire to see him achieve any less than his full potential. It is however a premise that he and other players conduct themselves in a manner that is befitting of a national team player and in many cases role model. It is therefore important that discipline is an overriding principal that governs the relationship we have with our players.”This is not the first time that Tatenda has been left off the national squad. He was not a member of the last squad which played against India and the decision was centred on discipline and form.”