Nations divided over Zimbabwe issue

The International Cricket Council's fragile unity looks set to crack if the four-nation Asian bloc, as expected, comes out in support of Zimbabwe retaining full member status at an executive board meeting this week.

Outgoing ICC president Ray Mali placed the issue on the agenda of the two-day ICC meeting scheduled for today and tomorrow as his native South Africa and England severed all cricketing ties with Zimbabwe in protest at what many Western states say was the lack of free and fair elections that allowed Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to win a sixth term last week.

Niranjan Shah, the secretary for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has said that his organization "would like to fully support Zimbabwe Cricket" in its retention of full member status within the ICC.

"We are aware that some member boards want Zimbabwe's membership taken away, but we are with Zimbabwe on this," Shah told the Cricinfo website. "However, we also understand the positions taken by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) as they were prompted by the advice of the governments in those countries. We do not blame them as they are bound by what their governments decide.

"But our position is very clear on the issue of full membership, and we would like to totally support Zimbabwe on that."

Pakistan, which is sending its second-string team to tour Zimbabwe in August, has indicated it will support the African country, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh usually vote the same way as the other two Asian nations.

With a two-thirds majority - or seven votes out of the 10 on the ICC board - required for any resolution to be passed, Zimbabwe is expected to retain its lucrative funding and voting rights.

Zimbabwe was the only non-Asian country to vote for BCCI chairman Sharad Pawar over his ECB counterpart David Morgan to replace Mali at last year's elections. The elections were tied at five votes apiece, and each candidate will serve a two-year term as ICC president instead of the usual four after a negotiated compromise.

Last week, British sports secretary Andy Burnham instructed the ECB to withdraw Zimbabwe's invitation for a one-day tour in May 2009, but failed to extend the ban to the Twenty20 World Cup next June for fear of compromising England's eligibility to host other events, such as the 2012 Olympics and the 2018 World Cup.

Zimbabwe has reportedly been urged to suspend itself from the ICC and save England from having to choose between losing the hosting rights for the Twenty20 World Cup or allowing the team into the country only a month after its ban comes into effect. Conceivably, Zimbabwe would then retain its ICC funding, despite the findings in March from an independent audit into Zimbabwe Cricket's accounts that large amounts of money cannot be accounted for.

Zimbabwe gathers ICC vote support

Support for Zimbabwe appears to be growing in the sub-continent ahead of this week's International Cricket Council meeting in Dubai.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has already stated it will not host a tour by Zimbabwe next year.

And Cricket South Africa has also cut its ties with Zimbabwe because of the political situation in the country.

But India and Pakistan have indicated they will not support any move to expel Zimbabwe from the ICC.

"There is no reason to remove Zimbabwe," said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"We understand England's position because their government wants Zimbabwe out but we will back Zimbabwe to stay in the ICC."

The Pakistan Cricket Board, meanwhile, has made it clear that it will send its A team on a tour to Zimbabwe in August as scheduled, irrespective of any action taken by the ICC, who have a board meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.

And the Press Trust of India has quoted a PCB spokesman as saying: "We don't think Zimbabwe cricket should face penalties because of political issues in that country. We will not support any sanctions."

Seven of the 10 full ICC members would have to vote in favour of expulsion for such a proposal to go through - and Zimbabwe itself is one of the 10.

If India and Pakistan line up alongside them, it would only require one more vote in Zimbabwe's favour for the proposal to be defeated.

If, however, Zimbabwe Cricket retains its full member status, England's hopes of hosting next year's ICC World Twenty20 tournament could be put in jeopardy.

Although the ICC would not take punitive action against the ECB for preventing Zimbabwe touring in the light of a formal government instruction, refusal to allow a full member to take part in the World Twenty20 could result in the tournament being moved elsewhere.

Such a move would be a huge financial blow to the ECB, with huge crowds expected at the three grounds chosen to host matches. The tournament schedule has already been published and tickets go on sale on Monday.

The UK government will reassess the situation if the ICC insists that Zimbabwe play in the World Twenty20 but is holding a firm line in its calls for a boycott because of the close links between Zimbabwe Cricket and the regime of president Robert Mugabe.

Culture secretary Andy Burnham told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek: "The first step is we'll meet the ECB, listen to their report back of the meeting and consider the arguments.

"If we haven't held sway we would listen to the arguments of the other ICC members but our position is completely clear.

"We think, in the current circumstances in Zimbabwe, it isn't right for any tour to take place."

However, he added: "I would not want to be in a position of overruling a governing body in sport. I vigorously defend the independence of our sporting bodies and will always to that."