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Speaking to Newsday, Alistair Campbell has welcomed the return of a number of "exiled" players for this year's domestic season - and in doing so has indicated that Midwest Rhinos have secured the talents of Ian Nicolson and Gary Balance:

"We have always maintained an open-door-policy with any of the players who would want to be considered for selection. We will not be considering what happened in the past. As long as the players are interested and show that they have what it takes through their performances we will be considering them.

"Gary (Balance) needs clearance but he has a Zimbabwean passport while Tinashe (Panyangara) and Nicolson are bowlers who have shown the potential of bowling very quick. We have recently been struggling to find genuinely quick bowlers and they could be the solution."

Campbell also spoke of the recent Zimbabwe XI trip to Netherlands and Canada, being particularly impressed with Craig Ervine:

"It was good to see some good performances from Stuart Matsikenyeri who has recently been struggling to get the runs. Craig Ervine was in such phenomenal form with the bat which could make him cement his place in the national team while young Shingirai Masakadza is improving overtime."

Good news all round, then - the new franchise system certainly seems to have garnered the support of players, both Zimbabwean and foreign, and that can only be good for the standard of play.
Newsday - Return of former internationals welcomed