Gang of four meet to discuss Zimbabwe's future

A select group of cricket heavyweights will meet in Dubai on Thursday to deliberate on Zimbabwe's future as a Test team following the revolt and subsequent sacking of 15 top players.

The cricket chiefs of India, South Africa and Australia will get a first-hand report from Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) chairman, at the extraordinary meeting called by the International Cricket Council. The deliberations will set the stage for a final decision on Zimbabwe at the ICC's annual conference in London on June 27.

"The big chiefs want to hear Zimbabwe's version before they meet up with the rest in London," one source close to the ICC said. There was no word why the heads of the other six Test-playing nations were excluded from the Dubai meeting. Besides Ehsan Mani, the ICC's chairman, the other administrators at the meeting will be India's Jagmohan Dalmiya, Bob Merriman of Australia and Ray Mali of South Africa.

South Africa have already said they don't want to host a weakened Zimbabwe side, and Australia have refused to rule out the possibility that they could press for the expulsion of Zimbabwe from Test cricket. India, which enjoys close diplomatic relations with Zimbabwe, have declined to take sides. But they are expected to go along with the majority.

There have been growing calls for Zimbabwe's expulsion from Test cricket to preserve the standards of the traditional game, while the former Australian captain Steve Waugh said there was no place for teams picked on colour instead of merit.

The ZCU's chief executive Vince Hogg admitted last week that Zimbabwe could be temporarily suspended from Test cricket, telling AFP that "There could be a moratorium on Tests for six months or maybe a year."

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play Tests in Pakistan in October and host England in November, but both tours remain in doubt pending a final decision from the ICC.