Speed flies in to Harare

Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, has flown to Harare for urgent talks with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. No official agenda has been announced, but with the ongoing dispute between the ZCU and the 15 "rebel" players still unresolved, it's a fair bet that much of the talk will be about that.

Until now the ICC has not wanted to get directly involved in what it described as a domestic issue, and the Zimbabwe board has not sought its intervention either. But the deadlock between the board and the players, and the continuing humiliation of Zimbabwe's second-string team, has brought the matter to a head.

Some reports suggest that Speed will be asking the ZCU to explain in detail its exact selection policy. There are also rumours circulating that he might recommend that the Australian tour be truncated if there is no swift resolution to the dispute.

Robert Craddock, writing in the Australian Sun-Herald newspaper, claimed: "A group of neutral nations, including India and South Africa, have approached the International Cricket Council with a request the tour be abandoned if the 15 white rebels whose contracts were torn up last week do not agree to play in this week's first Test in Harare.

"It is understood that if Speed cannot solve the dispute he will recommend the series be postponed and the Australians will return home without playing the two Tests and three one-day games. The series is unlikely to be postponed if Zimbabwe insists it goes ahead, but pressure from rival nations is mounting. ICC officials were last night searching their charter to see what measures it could take to call off the series if Zimbabwe concedes it should not proceed."

But Ehsan Mani, the ICC's president, was upbeat: "There is a huge amount going on behind the scenes," he said. "We are in intense discussions with the ZCU. The ZCU have very clearly understood our concerns. They have a board meeting later today, and by the time Malcolm meets with them tomorrow there may be some developments we can report."

He continued: "There is no suggestion from the ICC that Malcolm is in Zimbabwe as a mediator or arbitrator in the on-going dispute. Malcolm has travelled to Harare to obtain a better understanding of the issues. He is also there to explain to the directors of the ZCU and other important stakeholders in Zimbabwe the concerns of the international cricket community relating to the impact an on-going dispute may have on the integrity of Test cricket."