Former Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak has submitted a court application asking for Zimbabwe Cricket to be liquidated in order for the board to pay its debts. The eight-page document, seen by ESPNcricinfo, was submitted to the High Court in Harare on September 20.
In his application, Streak lists the monies owed to him and other members of his coaching staff, who were all dismissed following their failed World Cup qualifying campaign in March. He accuses ZC of "illegally" terminating their contracts and claims the organisation is being run in a "reckless and negligent manner," and that it should be declared insolvent.
Streak claims to be owed USD 128,762.95 and states that batting coach Lance Klusener, fitness trainer Sean Ball and A team assistant coach Wayne James are due USD 11757.93, 43,999.23 and 14175.66 respectively. The total amount members of the coaching staff are owed is USD 198695.77, a fraction of the sum of ZC's debts which is believed to run into millions of dollars.
In the court application, drafted by Gerald Mlotshwa, the same lawyer who was assisting Zimbabwe's players in setting up an association earlier in the year, Streak writes that he believes ZC's board of directors has "run the organisation in a reckless and negligent manner, mismanaged loans and grants that were advanced to it by the International Cricket Council and failed to make meaningful repayments." He has named Winsley Malitala as a provisional liquidator, to oversee the dissolution of ZC.
This action was taken despite the developments that followed the ICC's annual conference in July, when ZC was placed on a payment plan to ensure a drip-feed of funds into the system in order to restructure the board's debt. Since entering into the deal with the ICC, ZC paid outstanding player salaries and trimmed its staff.
ESPNcricinfo also learned that ZC could face more legal action in addition to Streak's case, should it be successful. Further applications could compel Zimbabwe's Sports and Recreation Committee to take disciplinary action against ZC if the board is declared insolvent, while another case may be filed to compel the SRC to release the results of a ZC audit. But the liquidation case will need to be completed for these applications to be considered. Sources told ESPNcricinfo they expect the matter to be heard next month.