CHENNAI: Even as the BCCI has decided to wait till October before looking for a back-up plan, the ICC’s decision to suspend Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) might have all but ended the possibility of its team touring India next year. Zimbabwe are scheduled to visit India to play three T20Is one each in Guwahati on January 5, Indore on January 7 and Pune on January 10. The tour was Zimbabwe’s first since 2002 when they had played two Tests and five ODIs against the hosts.
The ICC Board on Thursday unanimously decided that its full member ZC has breached Article 2.4 (c) and (d) of its constitution which imposes an obligation on members to provide a process for free and democratic elections. The Zimbabwe government’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) suspended the elected body in Zimbabwe Cricket in June, which constituted government interference. The breach meant the world body suspended ZC with immediate effect and also froze all the funds.
The suspension means Zimbabwe are barred from participating in any ICC events making their participation in Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier in August and Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in October highly unlikely. This is the first instance of suspending a full member. The ICC has directed that the elected ZC be reinstated to office within three months, and progress in this respect will be considered again at the October board meeting.
“The ZC still has some time. The ICC has asked the Zimbabwe board to put its house in order by October,” a BCCI source said. “If the ZC fails to comply with ICC’s directives then we’ve to check availability of other full members but it’s still a far-fetched idea,” the source added. However, situation looks grim as far as Zimbabwe cricket is concerned.
Sources at the ZC claimed that reinstating the elected body would be difficult by October. The ICC Board heard from both the Sports and Recreation Committee representatives of Zimbabwe government and ZC before making its decision. Media reports said that Dave Ellman- Brown, the chairman of the SRC-appointed interim committee and a former ZC Union chief executive, was in attendance in London. Tavengwa Mukuhlani also attended the board meeting.
Mukuhlani was re-elected as board chairman in June election. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe sports minister Kirsty Coventry in a series of tweets denied government interference and claimed that the commission which disbanded the ZC was a public body. Coventry, a twotime Olympic gold medallist swimmer, said, “There has been no Government Interference @ICC !!! I am devastated that the @ICC ruling has affected our @ZimCricketv Players. There is need for good governance at ZC for the international success we all want to see. Any decisions towards that should never affect the Players.”
DECISIONS TAKEN IN ICC MEETING
1 Approved the introduction of concussion replacements, effective from the first Ashes Test starting on August 1, following successful trials in domestic cricket. The player will need to be a like-forlike substitute, and any switch will need to be approved by the match referee.
2 Captains would no longer be suspended for repeated or serious over-rate breaches. All players will be held equally responsible for slow over rates, and as such will be fined at the same level as the captain.
3 In World Test Championship matches a team that is behind the required over rate at the end of a match will have points deducted.