Test series scrapped

CRICKET/ ZIMBABWE CRISIS: England's deliberations over whether to tour Zimbabwe this autumn took another turn yesterday after the Test section of the tour was effectively scrapped.

The two-Test series, along with Zimbabwe's away rubber with Pakistan followed the same way as the scheduled matches against Australia last month, in being postponed indefinitely.

Concerned at preserving the integrity of Test competition, the International Cricket Council persuaded the Zimbabwe Cricket Union to opt out at the highest level until the start of 2005, at a meeting in Dubai.

Despite the thrashings imposed on a fledgling side by Sri Lanka and Australia recently in limited-overs contests, however, Zimbabwe will continue with their one-day international itinerary for the remainder of this year, including the ICC Champions Trophy in September and a home series against England.

Public pressure has grown on the England and Wales Cricket Board to scrap the tour, and the British government while falling short of a direct instruction have made noises against going, but such a scenario contains the possibility of a significant fine and suspension, after last year's introduction of measures to protect the future tours programme.

That was put into place in the aftermath of England's boycotting of their 2003 World Cup match in Harare, which eventually cost the ECB just short of £1 million.

"Clearly the one-day internationals that are programmed will go ahead," ECB chairman David Morgan said. "That is the likelihood. It is something I will have to address with the board of the ECB but we will not be doing that until the ICC meetings have been concluded in early July.

"Only then will we look at our commitment to playing four one-day internationals against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe."

The proposals, agreed by ZCU chairman Peter Chingoka in the presence of ICC president Ehsan Mani and representatives from Australia, India and South Africa Bob Merriman, Jagmohan Dalmiya and Ray Mali respectively still have to be rubber-stamped at the two-day ICC executive board meeting which begins on June 30th.

That should be a formality with the world community clearly concerned at the strength of an international side shorn of 15 players due to a dispute on the board's selection policy.

Former players Henry Olonga and Andy Flower famously protested at the death of democracy in a country gripped by Robert Mugabe's tyrannical regime by sporting black armbands during last year's World Cup campaign.

A number of England players, some admittedly have since retired, expressed extreme pangs of conscience at the prospect of travelling 16 months ago.