The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
PLAYING cricket for the Chevrons is not as glamourous as it used to be due to Zimbabwe Cricket’s well detailed financial woos.
However, the players of today still make some good money with Grade A players – skipper Graeme Cremer and Craig Ervine – getting over $10 000 a month.
Grade B players, namely Sean Williams, Elton Chigumbura and Chamunorwa Chibhabha, reportedly get paid between $ 5 000 and $8 000 monthly.
Those on grade C, where one finds Hamilton Masakadza, Raza Sikander Butt, PJ Moor, Malcolm Waller and Tinashe Panyangara, are said to be going home with over $ 2500 a month.
Players in grade C1 earn somewhere in the region of US$1500 and these include Wellington Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami, Donald Tiripano and Neville Madziva.
The lowest grade houses the high Performance players that include Tarisai Musakanda, Carl Munda, Christopher Mpofu, Ryan Burl and Brian Chari.
These take home between $900 and $1400. While these figures are a far cry away from what their counterparts in other parts of the world get they look decent enough to give these lads comfortable lives.
The trick is to invest wisely, says former player Raymond Price. The retired Chevrons spinner runs a sports shop, Price Sports, which ironically is located at the door step of Harare Sports Club.
“When I played county cricket for Worcestershire, one of the things they pressed upon us was the need to plan for your future and I took that to heart.
“The same message is what I impart to the guys who are playing now. This is a short career and one needs to make smart decisions,” said Price.
There are countless other examples of retired players who are doing well for themselves, among them Mpumelelo Mbangwa and Dirk Viljoen (television business), Guy Whitall, and Stuart Carlisle (farming) as well as current head coach Heath Streak who runs an academy.
There are also some active players who have smartened up early. Among them are the likes Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Malcolm Waller, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams.
Chigumbura has a thriving pig farm in Beatrice, some 40km outside Harare. The 31-year-old former skipper has also invested into real estate and has built three houses in Greendale, Sunningdale and Madokero.
Malcolm Waller and Sean Williams are also planning for life after cricket. “About eight or nine years ago, I got into plumbing,” revealed the 32-year old Waller.
“I went down to Cape Town and did my training at Northlink College for about two years. “When I got back home, I briefly worked for a company in Msasa called John Hook and Son and got the necessary work experience.
“I am seriously considering starting up a company in plumbing or maybe construction.”Waller has some shares in Econet and Delta. Williams appears to have it all mapped up too.
“I started a company, with my wife, some years ago called Play Ball. It is company where we teach and study hand and eye coordination for kids.
“What we do is teach these kids how to play ball games- like rugby cricket and football- and the goal is to enrich their hand and eye coordination skills. “We will also be able to identify those with learning deficiency and try help them,” he said.
