England pay Zimbabwe for cancelled Tests
England and Zimbabwe appear finally to have drawn a line under the dispute that has dogged sporting relations between the two countries for three years, and reached a mutual agreement to cancel a two-Test series that was due to have been played in
Cricinfo staff
23-Mar-2005
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At last week's ICC executive board meeting in Delhi, it was agreed that the current regulations - that all teams should play each other at home and away over a four-year period - put too great a strain on the itineraries of the busiest countries. By extending the cycle to six years, England, who last played Zimbabwe at home in 2003, now do not need to take them on until the winter of 2009.
"Both countries agree that the Future Tours Programme and volume of international cricket scheduled in the foreseeable future results in an absence of mutually convenient dates on which these matches could be re-arranged," said the England & Wales Cricket Board in a statement.
The agreement was reached during the Delhi meeting between the chairmen of the two boards, David Morgan and Peter Chingoka, and later confirmed by David Collier, the ECB's chief executive. "The ECB is pleased to have resolved the issues concerning the postponed Test matches," said Collier, "and the chairmen should be congratulated on reaching a mutually agreeable solution so promptly."
In addition, the two boards reached an amicable settlement regarding the cancelled one-day international in Harare this winter, when England arrived late for their five-match series following the Zimbabwe government's decision not to issue visas to certain members of the touring British media.
With a four-year hiatus before England and Zimbabwe next appear on the radar, it could finally mean the end of a kerfuffle that has demeaned the game for far too long.