Zimbabwe on the hunt for fast bowlers

Zimbabwe's national side looks set for a major overhaul after the beleaguered board held a week-long bowling course last week to aid in a fresh selection process for a new-look team that officials say will stand competitively.

The course, staged at the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy and at the Harare Sports Club, was held to aid in the selection of a team that will represent Zimbabwe in the forthcoming tours by the A sides of West Indies and South Africa at a time when the country's cricket fortunes are at an all-time low.

Sources within the national team revealed that Zimbabwe Cricket had hired an Australian cricket specialist to conduct a bowling course for players drawn from around the country. "We are attending a bowling course which is being conducted by an Australian coach and it has been very intense," said one participant, adding that Zimbabwe was on the prowl for a fast bowler to enhance the team's attack.

Lovemore Banda, the ZC media and communications manager, confirmed that a course was held but would not confirm whether an Australian expert had been called in. "Kevin Curran [national team coach] conducted a course ... during the first week of this month. The majority of the participants were those pacers who showed a lot of potential during the 2007 Logan Cup."

However, there are also concerns that players who participated at this year's World Cup could still be owed their dues. Banda could neither deny nor confirm the issue of non-payment of players: "The issue of payment is a contractual matter," he said. "Is it of public interest whether the players are paid or not?"