ICC admits that it cannot penalise teams for not touring

The chances of England's tour of Zimbabwe next October going ahead receded with comments from Ehsan Mani, president of the International Cricket Council, that it would be impossible to penalise teams who withdrew from touring commitments.

Speaking in Dhaka, Mani explained that the ICC was not going to get involved. "This is very much a bilateral issue between England and Zimbabwe," he said. "There are no sanctions the ICC would impose on anyone."

Malcom Speed, the ICC's chief executive, endorsed Mani's statement. "The ICC is very keen for all scheduled tours to take place and I hope this situation doesn't arise. But tours between countries are different from an ICC event such as the World Cup or the ICC Champions Trophy. They are based on a contract that exists between the two national boards."

Although it is almost a year away, media speculation has already started over the tour. Last month Lord MacLaurin, the former England & Wales Cricket Board chairman, speaking in his capacity as chairman of English cricket's biggest backer - Vodafone - warned that his company might pull their £4 million sponsorship if the trip went ahead against the backdrop of civil unrest and famine in Zimbabwe. Other dissenting voices have raised public objections and another moral campaign against the tour is almost certain.

Mani's comments mean that a major obstacle - possible punitive fines by the ICC - blocking the ECB from taking a firm stand has been removed. In essence, if Robert Mugabe remains in power - which is not a certainty given the escalation of the opposition to his regime in recent weeks - the tour will almost certainly not happen.

That would leave David Morgan, the ECB chairman, in a difficult position. In the aftermath of England's World Cup boycott, he made a number of concessions to his Zimbabwean counterparts to ensure that the series against Zimbabwe in May and June 2003 in England went ahead.

But while the ICC might not be able to impose direct penalties, the host country would still be entitled to sue for compensation for lost revenue from television and radio deals and sponsorship. That could amount to millions, and Speed was keen to make that point. "If the [ICC's disputes resolutions] committee deemed it safe to tour Zimbabwe, and England didn't, damages could follow," he said. "But we can only set up the mechanism to determine the dispute. We sit outside it."

The issue of money which the ICC have withheld as a result of England boycott of their match in Harare during the World Cup remains. The ICC are sitting on £2 million, but despite Mani's remarks, this is not likely to be paid over to the ECB as it relates to a multinational tournament rather than a conventional tour.