'The only lasting solution will come from inside Zimbabwe'

Malcolm Speed and Ehsan Mani © Getty Images

Leading cricket is a job that crosses the often conflicting areas of sport, culture, business, politics, diplomacy and the media. In navigating this complex landscape, it is a poor leader that chooses the popular path at the expense of his own judgment.

There is understandable concern in many ICC Member countries, particularly in Australia, England and New Zealand, over a range of issues in Zimbabwe.

These are concerns that are shared by the ICC. To see players cut short their careers because of a dispute with their Board, to see a cricket community split on how to take the game forward and to see the financial and the behavioural allegations that are being made is unhealthy for the sport and unsatisfactory for the game.

It is all the more disappointing as it is happening when cricket is enjoying a wonderful period in its history. Terrific cricket is being played on the field as evidenced by wonderful recent series such as India v Pakistan and England v Australia.

Strong opinions from many stakeholders have been expressed in opposition to the stance the ICC has taken on Zimbabwe.

No doubt the ICC could become more popular with many more people if it adopted a more strident position against Zimbabwe but such a role would do little to find a solution to this complex issue.

The simplistic view expressed by some is that it is time for the ICC to roll up its sleeves, flex its muscles and get in and "fix it" - although how this is to be achieved is left, not surprisingly, vague.

In reality, if Zimbabwe is to reunite its fractured cricket community, the only lasting solution will come from within the Zimbabwe cricket community, be it through an agreement between the current factions or through the intervention of the Sports and Recreation Committee.

The ICC has repeatedly offered to assist the stakeholders to help them find a solution to their difficulties. This is an offer that all the parties in this dispute have been made aware of. It is an offer made with the support of the ICC Executive Board but, in line with Board policy, it is conditional on it having the support of Zimbabwe Cricket, an entirely necessary pre-condition if any progress is to be made.

In looking for a way forward, it is important to recognise that Zimbabwe Cricket is no more a "branch office" of the ICC than the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) or Cricket Australia (CA).

All our members are independent sovereign entities with their own authority, their own constitution and rules and their own legislative obligations. The idea that the ICC can simply walk in and "take over" one of our members is quite simply nonsense.

Many other ICC members have faced and addressed grave domestic issues.

In recent times, there have been threats of a players' strike in Australia; complicated television issues that have cost the game millions of dollars and disputed Board elections in India; a players' strike in New Zealand and the sacking and replacement of Boards by governments in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but no-one has seriously suggested that the ICC should unilaterally intervene to "fix it" in these cases and rightly so.

Where the ICC Board has drawn a distinction is between the autonomy of a member to manage their own domestic issues, and the international responsibility each member has to seek to protect the integrity of international cricket.

While members have the freedom to manage their own sovereign affairs, they do not have the right to risk the integrity of the international game.

It is often overlooked but the ICC Board showed its willingness to address this issue in May 2004 when the ICC President and Chief Executive proposed that Zimbabwe's Test status be suspended due to concerns about the strength of the Zimbabwe team at that time.

Ultimately, Zimbabwe Cricket voluntarily withdrew from its Test commitments but a similar move by the ICC Board cannot be ruled out in the future.

This is a point that the ICC has made to all parties in this dispute during the discussions it has had with them in recent weeks.

The ICC is well aware of the arguments against its stance and respects the rights of its stakeholders to take and express other opinions on the best way to resolve these difficult issues affecting Zimbabwe cricket.

What is more difficult to respect are the attempts by some people to link issues that are not joined, to use rhetoric ahead of reason, and to advance extreme positions at the expense of striking a balanced view.

This may play well to their audience, attract media attention and perhaps give some people the public profile they crave but populism doesn't equal progress.

The ICC has made significant progress since the corruption scandals of just five years ago. In addition to the issues in Zimbabwe, the ICC is currently dealing with a number of major issues in the sport including:

The truth is that what is happening is Zimbabwe is of great concern to the ICC, but those who are arguing for the unilateral intervention of the ICC without the support of all the stakeholders in the game are failing to properly understand the process that is needed to make progress or the challenges that cricket faces in Zimbabwe.

The ICC is watching the developments in Zimbabwe cricket with a critical eye. It respects the autonomy of Zimbabwe Cricket but has made its concerns clear to the sport's stakeholders in Zimbabwe, as well as the risks that are being run if they fail to find a solution.

No doubt the ICC's policy on this issue will continue to attract much criticism, but it is a policy which in the ICC's judgment provides the greatest opportunity for cricket in Zimbabwe to survive the crisis it currently faces.