ICC may move away from Lord's

The International Cricket Council is considering moving its headquarters away from Lord's, mainly for financial reasons, but also partly as a result of the ECB's stance on their forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the issue will be discussed at the ICC's executive board meeting in Auckland on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. A number of alternative venues have been mooted, including Dubai, Malaysia, Monaco, Ireland, Switzerland and Singapore.

Because of Britain's tax laws, the financial arm of the ICC has already been shifted to Monaco and any meeting involving money takes place outside the country. Dubai and Malaysia are therefore the favoured venues, as they offer tax exemptions that would allow the entire operation to be reintegrated.

It is the first time such a move has been formally considered, and although no decision will be taken at least until the annual meeting at Lord's in June, the Auckland summit will be used to test opinions. England's stance on Zimbabwe has enraged many members of the ICC, and they have been left further isolated by the announcement that Australia's tour will go ahead in May.

Auckland promises to be a testy couple of days for the ECB, which has been warned that it may lose the lucrative ICC Champions' Trophy next September, if England refuse to travel to Zimbabwe. Such a prospect, however, was denied by the ECB's chief executive, Tim Lamb. "We see no reason why the Champions Trophy shouldn't be held in this country," he said. "That item isn't even on the agenda."