 The rebels wanted Streak back as captain |
The 15 Zimbabwe cricketers who have boycotted the side's recent matches have had their contracts terminated. The group wanted arbitration in a row over the sacking of skipper Heath Streak by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.
But the ZCU decided instead to persist with a shadow side that lost a recent one-day series against Sri Lanka 5-0.
"The 15 players who have been absent from work, have violated the 21-day breach clause as stated in their contracts," said a ZCU statement.
"As a result the contracts of these 15 players have been terminated."
The row began when Streak was replaced as captain after presenting a list of demands to the ZCU, including a change in the selection panel and the acknowledgement of alleged malpractices. The players had agreed to mediation with their employers.
And they were set to make themselves available for the second and final Test against Sri Lanka, which starts in Bulawayo on Friday.
But the group were unhappy any decision by the mediator would not be legally binding. A ZCU board meeting in Harare on Monday decided to draw a line under the affair.
But the door was left open for any of the players to return to the side.
The statement added: "Any of these 15 players formerly employed by the ZCU, who wish to make themselves available for selection, on a contractual or non-contractual basis, will be individually considered subject to their commitment, form and fitness."
MMIX
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The news of the rebels being sacked is very dismal; it effectively ends the careers of some of the greatest Zimbabwean cricketers
