Zimbabwe players agree to arbitration

Zimbabwe's rebel cricketers today agreed to arbitrate with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) over their ongoing internal dispute. The ICC gave the players a deadline of today to agree to their offer, and, as expected, they did.

The ZCU, for their part, agreed last week to take part in the tribunal, which will consist of a representative from each side, along with a third person, who will act as an independent chairman.

The majority of the rebel players are currently on tour in England with the Red Lions, a charity side. From Stowe School, in Buckinghamshire, where they are currently playing their third game of the six-match tour, Clive Field, the players' manager, said: "We had a meeting yesterday and we sent an e-mail to ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, who is in India, saying we accepted the plan."

He added, "From the players' point of view we want this resolved as quickly as possible. We don't know when the arbitration will start, but we hope the composition of the panel and their terms of reference can be decided quickly."

Field's comments were backed up by Chris Venturas, the players' laywer, who told the BBC: "The players are now feeling very confident because they know they have a very good case."