The Academy buildings pictured earlier this month © Cricinfo

Zimbabwe Cricket has dismissed claims that the country's cricket academy, which was burned down in an arson attack in October 2006, has not been touched since the blaze.

"The tender for the building was awarded at the end of last year and construction work is underway now," a spokesman told Cricinfo. "The contractors are doing the brick work. Subject to weather and the availability of materials, we expect the construction to be through by the end of April.

"The next site meeting is on Monday morning and will include senior ZC management including our facilities consultant, the main contractor and their mechanical and electrical sub-contractors, quantity surveyors and the project manager and structural engineers.

"Against that background, the academy house and playing fields are being utilised. For example, since October, Kevin Curran has been working with his high-performance squad of 10 - using the house, the ground and nets at the Country Club, where the academy is sited.

"When the main academy building is up and running, the next intake during the course of this year will be of 12 to 15 of the under-19 players with the most potential, from around the country."

The academy was built in 1999 through private fundraising, with former captain David Houghton very involved. It was run by the Zimbabwe board until it was burnt down by Mark Vermeulen.

The claim regarding the state of the academy was disputed by several former players and administrators who all maintained there has been no intake for at least two years. "Where is the evidence of anyone being nurtured as Chingoka tells the outside world," a former international told Cricinfo. "Is there a list of people available? If they are in the academy, then it must be taking place in private."