ICC takes a firm stand on Zimbabwe

The International Cricket Council, in its firmest stand yet on the Zimbabwe cricket crisis, has set a 14-day deadline for the Zimbabwe Cricket Union to resolve its conflict with their disgruntled players, and has initiated an independent investigation into allegations of racism in selection policies. The announcements came on the last day of the ICC's annual general meeting, during which a new vice-president was appointed, three new countries' membership applications were accepted, and the new location of the ICC's headquarters was discussed.

The ICC has warned the ZCU that if significant progress is not made within two weeks, then Ehsan Mani, the president of the ICC, and Percy Sonn, the new vice-president, will decide to apply the Disputes Resolution process. Though the ZCU believes that the process has no legal jurisdiction, the ICC's stand has been backed by its own legal team.

Significantly, the ICC has also chosen to publicly acknowledge the racism factor, with Mani admitting that a large part of the dispute was race-related. "One of the most concerning aspects of this dispute has been the very serious allegations of racism that have been made," he said. "The ICC will now proceed with the appointment of an eminent person or persons to deal with these claims and report to the Board on any findings and recommended actions. Candidates for this role have been identified and over the coming days the ICC will make the necessary approaches to finalise these arrangements. We are very mindful of the ICC's responsibility to protect the game in Zimbabwe."

But the stick came with a carrot. Though, as expected, Zimbabwe's participation in Test cricket remains suspended until early next year, they have been permitted to continue playing one-day internationals, as the ICC believes that Zimbabwe cricket needs all the help it can get. Mani said that by playing one-dayers, Zimbabwean players would develop the skills necessary for Tests, perhaps implying that with its current depleted side, Zimbabwe wouldn't be dressed in whites for a while. "One-day international cricket is an important pathway in providing players with the skills and exposure to perform at the international level," Mani said. "By providing the opportunity for Zimbabwe to continue at this level, the ICC is ensuring that cricket in Zimbabwe is given every opportunity to survive. It is important to recognise the efforts of the ZCU, which is operating in a very difficult environment. The ZCU has expanded the sport beyond its traditional narrow base, and is taking the game to 50,000 young cricketers every year."

The Indian and South African board have already planned A tours of Zimbabwe later this year, so though Zimbabwe will not be playing Test cricket, they will participate in first-class matches against near-international-standard opposition.

Percy Sonn is the ICC's new vice-president Sonn, who was previously the president of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, has been named as the ICC's new vice-president, and will take over from Mani next year, when the presidency of the ICC moves from Pakistan to South Africa. The ICC's presidency is passed on by rotation. Until a year ago, Australia'a Malcolm Gray was the president.

Sonn served out most of his time with the South African board with distinction, barring an incident during a World Cup match last year, when he reportedly became abusive after a drink or two. He later offered an unconditional apology for his behaviour. He was also well-known for his benevolent stand on Hansie Cronje, who he publicly stated was "entitled to the freedom and liberties of all South Africans", and there was a place for him in South African cricket.

ICC's three new members China, Mexico and Isle of Man have been accepted into the ICC, and are the newest affiliate members. This increases the number of ICC members to 92 countries. While ten can play Test cricket, 27 are associate members, and the other 55 are affiliate members.

Pakistan has already offered assistance to China, with training and coaching facilities to prepare its national cricket team. Of late, the Chinese government has made a co-ordinated effort to make cricket a mandatory sport in certain regions of the country, and it plans to put China among the top rank of teams by 2020. China will also, in a few days' time, become a part of the Asian Cricket Council.

Decision on new headquarters delayed The ICC has delayed a decision on shifting its headquarters to a new location because of a last-gasp move by the British government to keep it in England. Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, said that India was among the contenders for the new headquarters, but the decision would have to wait for a while.

"A last-minute intervention by UK Sport, on behalf of the UK government, to keep the ICC headquarters in England has forced us to defer our decision," Speed said. "We are flattered by the Indian offer but the choice of venues is between London, Dubai or Malaysia, as the ICC does not wish to relocate to a full-member country."

Mani added that the decision would take financial benefits into consideration and that because of the late offer, the decision would take more time. "To accurately assess this information, the ICC Board opted to defer the decision on the future location of the ICC headquarters to its October meeting."