zimcricketnews.com

The ICC's Cricket Committee has recommended that Zimbabwe not be allowed to return to Test cricket until the side's playing standards have improved, and have suggested including the team in the Associate-level Intercontinental Cup 4-day competition in the meantime. The full recommendation reads:

The committee did not support the return of Zimbabwe to Test cricket until such time as the team demonstrates its ability to perform at a standard that does not risk undermining the integrity of Test cricket.

In order to be able to judge when Zimbabwe's performance merits a return to Test cricket, the committee felt the team first needed to continue in its current practice of playing a number of representative four-day matches. The committee encouraged the scheduling of such matches against ICC Full Member A teams and Associates with, for example, the inclusion of Zimbabwe in the next ICC Intercontinental Cup.

Obviously, that puts the scheduled Test series against the West Indies later in the year in doubt - a bit of a shame, as given the Windies' current playing standards, I'd like to think that could have been a close one, especially with Zimbabwe having the advantage of home conditions.

That said, I'm actually in favour of the idea, as it's an opportunity for Zimbabwe to prove that they're still ahead of the Associates in playing ability (and I believe they are) while giving the players the opportunity to rediscover what it's like to be on a winning side. One of the problems with the current Zim side is that they don't know how to win - when playing against other Full-Member sides, they seem more eager to play out their innings and prevent humiliation than to try and play for a result, and playing against the weaker sides who they can beat on a regular basis will hopefully boost their confidence.

Of course, the Cricket Committee's recommendations aren't binding on the ICC. There's an approval process to go through from here, as follows:
The ICC Cricket Committee is empowered to make recommendations which then go forward to the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) for approval. If that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board. As such, any recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee will not take effect until they are ratified and/or approved by CEC and the Board. Both CEC and the ICC Board are scheduled to meet in London from 24 June.
The catch here is that Zimbabwe, as a Full Member, sits on the ICC Board and may be in a position to block the recommendations. We'll see later in the month.
ICC - Results of ICC Cricket Committee meeting

UPDATE: And already there's the predictable political grumbling, as the cricketing media (okay, CricInfo) jump on the usual bandwagon at the prospect of Scotland having to host or travel to Zimbabwe - although as ever Cricket Scotland themselves are keeping out of the row. To qoute CS chief executive Roddy Smith:

"It would not be an issue for me, it would be an issue for our board, in consultation with the Scottish Executive and the Foreign Office. It's all hypothetical at this stage but if it became a reality, we would have to look at it and make a decision based on all the relevant factors at the time."

Interestingly, the only politician CricInfo seem to have found to give their 2p-worth is Westminster MP Kate Hoey - who represents an English consistuency & is no longer part of the government, so her opinion would seem to be entirely irrelevant.
CricInfo: Scotland wait for Zimbabwe move | Hoey against any Zimbabwe matches