Cricket: Zimbabwe reporters plunder the gongs

The opposition might not be up to much, but the New Zealand cricketers can at least look forward to some quality media coverage during their stay in Zimbabwe.

In a country where corruption and back-handers are the rule, the local cricket press this week not only reported the news but became the news, after scooping most of the prizes at Zimbabwe's Cricket Player of the Year ceremony.

Out of the nine categories judged, seven were won by journalists who had reportedly supported Zimbabwe Cricket during the previous year's internal rows, which included player boycotts, self-imposed exiles and ICC hearings.

Website Wisden-Cricinfo reported that the journalists each received Z$4 million ($333) in prize-money in recognition of their good reporting.

Of the players, only Tatenda Taibu, with the Cricketer of the Year award, and Christopher Mpofu and Graeme Cremer, who shared the Young Cricketer of the Year award, were required on the dais.

The report also claimed that Zimbabwe Cricket had been accused of interfering with journalists' work and assigning reporters to international tours in an effort to influence the coverage.

Of particular concern was a wrangle over ZC favouring reporters from the pro-Government Herald, particularly after a recent fiasco when a secret email between the two organisations was accidentally forwarded to all journalists.

It's claimed that the message from ZC's media manager to a Herald reporter not only contained information additional to an earlier press statement, but also asked that the reporter not refer to certain material as "others [journalists] will wonder how you accessed them".

The reporter concerned was later named the Cricket Writer of the Year for the third time in succession.