Zimbabwe's cricketers suspended their indefinite strike on Saturday the day after the government appointed an interim board to run the game.

Players' representative Clive Field told Reuters from Harare the decision had been made at a players' meeting on Saturday.

The players walked out on December 22 in protest against financial issues, transport problems and the continued presence in office of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Peter Chingoka and managing director Ozias Bvute.

The government intervened on Friday by dissolving the ZC board and naming an interim body to be led by Chingoka.

Brigadier Gibson Mashingaidze, the army brigadier who chairs of the Sports and Recreation Commission that announced the takeover, said on Friday a contractual impasse between the players and ZC should be resolved by Jan. 31.

"The players have committed themselves to continuing to at least until the end of the month in the light of what was made clear at the meeting yesterday that they should expect their contracts to be resolved by then," Field said.

Field said the players did not hold out much hope that their dissatisfaction over the new ZC contracts, which are based heavily on performance incentives, would be settled soon.

"The guys don't feel for a second that it will be resolved by then, but the feeling is that this is better way of keeping the pressure on than by just walking away," Field said.

"They've put their pockets in front of their principles in the hopes that they can persevere and preserve their income."

Field said the players were mindful of trying to protect Zimbabwe's Test status, which could be threatened if the International Cricket Council decides the country is not putting its best available team on the field.

"The players feel that Test status is paramount, if we don't have Test cricket we have no jobs and we have no financial security for the players," Field said.

"They feel they should do everything in their power to keep Test status, and clearly if they all walk off the job today it won't be long before that is taken away."

The general uncertainty of the players' plight also played a role in Saturday's decision.

"No one in the room was under any illusion that this thing might be bigger than us now," Field said.

"The players feel they are risks, political and otherwise, to taking a hard line."

The players' decision clears the way for Zimbabwe to send a team to the under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka [Images] in February.