The players' legal representative Chris Venturas confirmed that the players will go to court over the sackings after the ZCU decided they had violated an ultimatum laid down by the governing body ordering them to make themselves available for selection.

"We are taking them (ZCU) to court over this.

"We were just finalising our letter to the ZCU agreeing a mediation on the dispute when they dropped this bombshell on us.

"We decided right away we would go the distance and an advocate will be briefed as soon as possible.

"We knew about their ultimatum to return to duties by May 7 but this was a shock in view of our impending written acceptance of mediation, which we were going to deliver on Tuesday morning and which they knew was going to happen."

"We were talking about officially accepting mediation and we were going to make ourselves available for practice," Stuart Carlisle, one of the rebels, told Reuters.

"Then we got a phone call to say our contracts have been terminated."

Carlisle said the ZCU did not appear to have acknowledged that the players suspended their boycott last week and made themselves available, albeit temporarily.

The ultimatum was given to the players three weeks ago by ZCU chairman Peter Chingoka, who told them if they didn't resume practice and make themselves available for selection by May 7 action would be taken against them.

A statement issued by the ZCU said the sacking was because the players had failed to respect the ultimatum.

"As a result the contracts of these 15 players have been terminated," it stated.

In practice, however, there are only 12 cricketers involved as three have already gone overseas seeking employment.

The ZCU statement, approved by the board of directors earlier on Monday, offered any of the players who are individually committed to apply for their jobs back, "subject to form and fitness."

But Venturas said he did not expect this to happen.

Sri Lanka will now face up to a similar team of young and inexperienced cricketers whom they beat by an innings and 240 runs in Harare on Saturday when they meet in the second and final Tests at Bulawayo's Queens Sports Club on Friday.

The dispute began on April 2 when former captain Heath Streak verbally objected to certain members of the national selection panel.

He was immediately fired by directors who publicly expressed their anger.

In response all the white players, with the exception of Mark Vermeulen, demanded his reinstatement together with changes to the selection panel. The group also demanded arbitration on Streak's removal from the captaincy. A five weeks old impasse developed.

The latest and perhaps decisive move by the ZCU has triggered a legal process which is expected to take many months to conclude.