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ZC Gives Vermeulen Selection Green light
Friday, 30 January 2009 10:45

MARK Vermeulen could soon return to the Zimbabwe fold after Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) accepted his apology for two arson attacks committed two years ago and announced he can be considered for selection again.
The talented right-handed batsman is currently playing in the National League which started on Monday.


The 29-year-old Vermeulen was cleared of arson by a Harare court last January on mental illness grounds.

He was facing trial for setting fire to the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy and part of the ZC boardroom at Harare Sports Club in October 2006.


Last May Vermeulen told this paper that he had approached ZC with an offer to help rebuild the academy in exchange for a contract.


“I’m jobless at the moment, the only job I can do is play cricket,” he said. “I’ve kindly asked ZC to give me my job back, then I will give a percentage of my earning towards the rebuilding of the Academy.”


ZC managing director Ozias Bvute this week confirmed the decision to unconditionally offer Vermeulen another chance.


“There was actually no ban on him, but relations were restrained after the two arson attacks on the Academy and Harare Sports Club boardroom,” Bvute told IndependentSport this week.


“He approached us with a desire to play in our leagues. Having weighed various issues we decided it was in his best interest to be allowed to play since he indicated that cricket was the only thing he lives for.


“Should he make the grade, he will be selected (for the national team). The decision was driven by a desire to help rehabilitate him, taking into account that he served Zimbabwe well when he first played for the national side. Life is such that everyone deserves a second chance.”


Vermeulen played 32 ODIs and eight Tests between 2000 and 2004, averaging 20,82 and 25,87 respectively.


A superb player of pace bowling and timer of the ball, Vermeuelen was one of a few white players who did not join the “rebel” exodus in 2004.


His comeback will be a welcome move for the Zimbabwe team. While the bowlers have generally performed well of late, the batting line-up has been the team’s Achilles Heel and will certainly do with a classy addition in Vermeulen.

this is great news but truly i will be amazed if he plays for Zimbabwe again but he will improve the standard of first class cricket

Really good news and good luck to Mark. I hope it works out for him. He's still only 29 and a couple of good scores could well and truly get him back in the frame. He's been away from the FC scene for a while and suffered nasty injuries but at least now he has a chance...

This is huge!

“There was actually no ban on him, but relations were restrained after the two arson attacks on the Academy and Harare Sports Club boardroom,” Bvute told IndependentSport this week.

“He approached us with a desire to play in our leagues. Having weighed various issues we decided it was in his best interest to be allowed to play since he indicated that cricket was the only thing he lives for.

“Should he make the grade, he will be selected (for the national team). The decision was driven by a desire to help rehabilitate him, taking into account that he served Zimbabwe well when he first played for the national side. Life is such that everyone deserves a second chance.”

It is those comments by Bvute which give me the most hope. What he says makes sense, that they didn't really (understandably) want to be associated with Vermeulen in the aftermath of the fires, but now that he is recovering they want to help him further.

Now that it is in the open that he is available for selection I think there is a good chance we will see him in the Logan Cup this year. A couple of good scores - which he is certainly capable of making - and he will bounce right into the picture.

Oh wow! Thats a great news. I still remember his fine batting against Australia in Australia. His experience will surely enrich ZC. One of the finest moment for me, concerned with MV-

"Anyone who has attended a one-day game in Harare will have noticed that the crowd is made up, largely, of black schoolchildren from some of the poorest suburbs in the city. However, at the second one-day game there was at least one white face among the sea of enthusiastic black children, and it was Vermeulen's. For most of the game, which Zimbabwe eventually won, he led a shouting, laughing band of at least 30 or 40 children around the stands. Wherever he went, they followed, and with his encouragement cheered their side to victory.

In a country in which racial and political tensions are a fact of everyday life, it was heart-warming to witness the sight of a young, white male from an affluent Harare family in his element, and loving every minute of it, among black children who would be bussed back to one of the capital city's sprawling, poverty-stricken townships after the game. It took only one thing to break down the racial, economic and age boundaries between Vermeulen and those children: cricket.

zimfan1 wrote:
“I’m jobless at the moment, the only job I can do is play cricket,” he said.

This not only gives a flicker of hope for the future of Zimbabwe cricket, and the country at large; it also offers an insight into his open, care-free attitude off the field, and the supremely privileged place cricket holds in his life. "

Hats off to MV.
Hats off to his spirit.
Long live Zimbabwe cricket
...and its fans

Where I was for the last couple of days!!!

Actually I am a student too and my class is going on in full speed and have to study lot to cope with.

Anyway,but words will fall short for me to tell all of you that how much I am happy hearing the news.I have written quite a lot about Mark Vermeulen in various topics of this forum like Vermeulen should return,ZC should allow to play Vermeulen in the national team,Vermeulen has a future left,he has many talents left in him to give Zimbabwean cricket like this....
Even I have asked brmtaylor.com admin abt Mark Vermeulen's latest situation to know further abt him some days ago.Finally,Vermeulen is allowed to play.

Zimbabwe is doing well in recent times especially starting from Sri Lankan series also in the Bangladesh tour and they are just hammering Kenya in the ODIs.I guess Zimbabwe will get their test status back if they continue such form.

It seems that ZC is also desperate to get the test status back.Vermeulen's inclusion is a huge step on the prospect of returning in the test arena.

As far as I learned or read abt Vermeulen,he is a very good person.Indeed a person who lives for cricket.I can remember,he was one of the fewest white players who made himself available after the rebel strike way back in 2004 along with Dion Ebrahim who was an Asian.It also comes to my mind,Vermeulen's Australia tour in 2003 there he was twice striked in the head by Brett Lee and Irfan Pathan.

Dr Situ is absulutely right.Zimfan1,thanks for giving us this great news.I think,Zimbabwe will gain their former standards soon if they continue taking good decisions like this.I hope,Mark Vermeulen will make big scores in the logan Cup and will return in the internation scene soon.His return will really boost the batting strength of Zimbabwe.Best of luck Mark!

LONG LIVE ZIMBABWEAN CRICKET AND ALSO THE FANS! I really appreciate.

Welcome back, Vermeulen. Those are indeed sensational statements coming from Bvute.

thus is the best news in ages, cant wait to see Mark in action again.

I have always considered Bvute a complete thug, but his actions regarding Mark Vermeulen actually seem quite decent. I would love to see Mark back in the national side. Particularly if Sean Williams decided to go overseas...again.

eugene wrote:I have always considered Bvute a complete thug, but his actions regarding Mark Vermeulen actually seem quite decent. I would love to see Mark back in the national side. Particularly if Sean Williams decided to go overseas...again.

Sean Williams didnt play the 3rd ODI against Kenya to decide his future.But he came back in the 4th ODI and scored a decent 43 runs.I think,Williams will play for Zimbabwe.Even he ensured that when he returned to Zimbabwe in November,2008.He denied to sign the club contract to play for the national side.But again it seems that he is confused about it and thinking....