Lamb to the slaughter?

As the ECB lurches ever deeper into the Zimbabwe crisis, their chief executive for the past eight years, Tim Lamb, is facing a vote of no-confidence from the chairmen of the 18 first-class counties. According to a report in today's Sunday Times, the first significant steps towards Lamb's removal may take place at the next meeting of the First Class Forum on May 11.

"His position is very precarious and may become untenable over the next few weeks," one senior source was reported to have said. "There have simply been too many mistakes on too many issues. We have been wrong-footed on Zimbabwe the whole way along." David Morgan, the ECB's chairman, was also singled out for criticism, with another source telling the paper: "I'm disappointed at the poor communication and the obvious mistakes made."

Although the government has made clear its position on the issue, Britain's sporting interests remain detached from its politics, and so there is no prospect of the all-important ban that would enable the ECB to escape penalty from the International Cricket Council. But, much of the blame for the ECB's situation is levelled at Lamb, who has been accused of "sleepwalking" into a crucial meeting in Auckland back in March, at which the prospect of suspension from international competition was first raised if England pulled out of the tour.

Lamb has since referred to "11th-hour manoeuvring" by other ICC delegates, but he is understood to have backed a hardening of policy in earlier meetings. In addition, his position has been further undermined by the resignation of Des Wilson, whose consultation paper on Zimbabwe had suggested that the ECB would be moving towards a new moral stance on touring. Lamb and Morgan, however, have been retreating from that position ever since the threat of financial sanctions was raised.

One of Britain's leading lawyers, however, believes that the ICC threat could be illegal, and has called on Lamb to challenge the ruling. Robert Griffiths QC, who resigned from the MCC committee last week after it reversed a vote against England's tour, said: "If you don't put pressure on the other side, you don't get to the negotiating table, and they've won. The ECB have got to tell the ICC that they have grave reservations whether the ICC can legitimately impose these heavy financial sanctions."

As if that was not enough reason for Lamb to fear for his position, he is also under fire on the domestic front as well. "What is the ECB for?" asked one county chief executive, after a proposal to merge the County Championship and the National League was rejected last week. "Why does it take six months to ask other people? [The ECB] works through committees and goes round in circles. The executive should stand or fall by its decision-making. A lot of people are frustrated. If most businesses were run like this, they would not be around."