zimcricketnews.com

Zimbabwe Cricket has finally confirmed to the ICC that they will withdraw from next year's World Twenty20, after a delay for extra discussions and "clarifications" that would have worried some within the ICC and ECB. The confirmation means that Scotland, who finished 3rd in the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in Belfast earlier this month, will now get a place in the tournament.

One wonders what "clarifications" were needed, so let's make a little prediction: you'll have noticed the ongoing uncertainty over the Champions Trophy, due to be held in Pakistan next month, with several nations expressing concern over the security arrangements for the tournament - England, Australia and South Africa are being particularly vocal on this matter. The ICC does have the power to move the tournament, but a) they'll incur financial penalties if they do so and b) the powerful Asian block are unlikely to want the tourney moved (although Sri Lanka has already been designated as an alternative venue). Technically, if the tournament stays in Pakistan and any of the concerned sides opt not to take part, Bangladesh and Ireland are next in line to fill their spots - but I wonder if Zimbabwe have been promised a slot to ensure their T20 pull-out? The ICC Board is due to hold a teleconference on Sunday to decide the tournament's fate - it'll be interesting to see what decision is reached.
Cricket365 - Zim Officially Withdraw From T20 WC | CricInfo - ICC to hold teleconference on Sunday

The Zimbabwe Cricket board has failed to back Peter Chingoka's compromise deal that would have seen Zimbabwe withdraw from next year's World Twenty20 in exchange for a guarantee that they would still receive their income from the tourney. Speaking to the Sunday News, Chingoka revealed that "clarification" of the deal was required:

"We met as a board to consider our pullout from the ICC World Twenty20. We have been given instructions by our board to clarify certain issues with the ICC."

As a result, Chingoka will now return to Dubai for further discussions with the ICC's David Morgan, Sharad Pawar and Haroon Lorgat. If I was a betting man, I'd say that this is a stalling tactic by ZC, who'll be hoping that a successful conclusion to power-sharing talks between Zanu-PF and the MDC - which had been expected to be completed by now - will render talk of sporting boycotts moot.
Sunday News - ZC delegation to meet top ICC officials in Dubai

You'll remember that ZC's decision to withdraw from next year's World Twenty20 was dependent on the approval of the full Zimbabwe Cricket board. With Peter Chingoka having such a firm hand on the reigns, it was assumed that that approval would be a formality - but there are rumblings, reported in the Zimbabwe Independent, that internal dissent is growing over the move. Officially, ZC are still consulting: a statement posted to the ZC website after a board meeting on Friday failed to approve the move reads...

"The Board is making consultations on the issue to enable it to give a full response to the ICC within the stipulated one month period. Not all the Board members were able to attend the Friday meeting in the capital, which becomes the reason for further consultations."

Opposition to the decision seems to be on the basis that the national side should, by right, be playing in the competition - and that the team exists to play, not to sit on the sidelines. Richie Kaschula, a former Zimbabwe player, selector and administrator, said the decision set a dangerous precedent for the game:

"How can we pull out when our players have right to participate? Once again our players have suffered because of the administration. They have suffered because ICC has failed to deal with Zimbabwe Cricket and tackle the real issues. It wouldn’t have come to this. Our players will lose match fees and exposure, and for some of them it was the only World Cup they were ever going to play in. Why is it that these kids have to carry the burden all the time?"

"Will the ICC ever make cricket decisions? It is all about covering their backs. If England stood to lose the hosting rights over Zimbabwe then so be it. If there are issues with Peter Chingoka and his board why is it they’ve not been dealt with by the ICC? Now our players will not play because of political decisions."

The players themselves are apparently also unhappy. Speaking anonymously to the Independent, on current member of the national side said...

"Was this a financial decision? Zimbabwe Cricket’s core business is playing cricket. Are we compromising not to play cricket in exchange of a few dollars? Questions must be asked why we are so keen on preserving full member status when we are not playing cricket."

Given the political position in Zim at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if ZC were coming under heavin pressure from the Government to back down on their decision and instead insist on their right to take part in the tournament - that would, after all, cause maximum difficulty to the ECB and British Government, and we all know how much Zanu-PF love to annoy the Brits. I don't think this saga is over just yet...
Zimbabwe Cricket - ZC Board considering recommendation to withdraw from the 2009 WT2O tournament
Zimbabwe Independent - Zimbabwe Cricket Slammed Over Pull-out

Compromise has been reached at the ICC board meeting in Dubai - Zimbabwe will withdraw from next year's World Twenty20, although they will still receive their appearance money for the event. Zimbabwe's participation in other ICC events and the Future Tours Programme appears to be unaffected. The ICC issued the following statement:

“The Zimbabwe delegation to ICC Annual Conference week is aware of the decision of the British government not to allow its bilateral series in England in 2009 to go ahead.

“Zimbabwe Cricket has also taken note that the British government is likely to refuse to grant visas for the Zimbabwe cricket team to take part in the ICC World Twenty20 2009. Therefore, the Zimbabwe delegation has decided to recommend to its board that the team should withdraw from that event.

“The delegation has undertaken to report back on the decision of its board to the ICC within one month.

“The delegation will report to its board that it will not suffer financially as a result of its non-participation in the ICC World Twenty20 2009.

“The Zimbabwe delegation has agreed to take this decision in the greater interest of world cricket and the ICC. This recommendation should be viewed as a one-off and will not be taken as a precedent.

“Outgoing ICC President Ray Mali has recommended that a sub-committee be set up, chaired by Dr Julian Hunte (West Indies) and including another ICC Board member Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka) and an official from the ICC (to be confirmed). The role of this sub-committee will be to advise the ICC Board on all matters relating to Zimbabwe cricket including its return to full participation in the international game. The specific terms of reference for the sub-committee will be finalised in due course.”

The decision is something of a back-down by ZC, who before the meeting had been adamant that they had a place in the tournament by right and would play. ZC Chairman Peter Chingoka, speaking to CricInfo was putting a brave face on the decision:

"We have decided to pull out in the larger interests of the game. We have been informed that the British government may not grant visas to our players, and that situation may prevail during the Twenty20 World Cup. We don't want to be gatecrashers."

In reality, there really wasn't any other option for ZC. But with Zim's playing rights in other competitions unaffected, you have to wonder how long it'll be before the issue raises its head again.

This may yet turn out to be moot, so I'm not going to update the Fixtures page yet - but the fixture list for the group stage of next year's ICC World Twenty20 has been announced. With no decision having yet been taken on Zimbabwe's participation in the tournament, they kept their place in the schedules, and their group - Group A - has been scheduled as follows:

6 June 2009     India v Bangladesh
8 June 2009     Zimbabwe v Bangladesh
10 June 2009    India v Zimbabwe

All matches are set for Trent Bridge in Nottingham. With some calling for the full suspension of Zimbabwe from international cricket until local political issues are resolved, though, the situation may well change.
ICC - World Twenty20 2009 - Men's Match Schedule

CricInfo have been picking over the exact language used by UK Foreign Secretary David Milliband, in recent comments about the government's opposition to Zimbabwe touring the UK. They've picked up on one particular statement:

"The situation in Zimbabwe is obviously deeply concerning. I think that bilateral cricket tours at the moment don't send the right message about our concern."

Emphasis added. The World Twenty20 is not a bilateral tour. The UK government and the ECB will also be aware that, while they can avoid financial penalties if the government forces cancellation of the England v Zimbabwe series, preventing Zim taking part in the World Twenty20 will have consequences, as the ICC have already hinted at - and so this statement leaves open the possibility of Zimbabwe taking part in that tournament.

Never underestimate the power of money. Especially in cricket.

Speaking to BBC Sport, ICC Chief Executive Malcom Speed confirmed that England's deal to host the 2009 World Twenty20 would be at risk if the UK Government prevented Zimbabwe from taking part:

"It's a condition of hosting an ICC event that all member teams can play. We (the ICC) haven't yet had to deal with a situation whereby a country isn't allowed by the host nation's government to take part in an ICC event. If that happens, the board would have to meet and take whatever action it deems necessary."

CricInfo also reports that sources within the ICC have confirmed that...

"...it was inconceivable that the competition would proceed without Zimbabwe and that contingency measures would be drawn up to enable the tournament to be switched should the need arise."

BBC Sport - England Warned over Zimbabwe | CricInfo - ICC warns England over Zimbabwe exclusion

The Super Soaraway Currant Bun (that's the Sun, for our non-UK readers...) reports un-named sources in the UK Government as confirming that Zimbabwe will not be allowed to participate in the 2009 World Twenty20, scheduled to take place in England, or complete their scheduled series against England that year as required by the ICC's Future Tours Programme. While I wouldn't trust the Sun as far as I could throw them (and no other reliable UK source is carrying the story), it's worth flagging up the possibility. The Sun rightly reports that the ECB requires Government action to prevent Zimbabwe touring England if they're to avoid ICC fines, but CricInfo, in their own report on the Sun's story, points out that the ICC can do far worse than impose fines in this situation:

While few will shed tears over Zimbabwe not playing a series in England, there are greater possible ramifications as in June 2009 the ICC World Twenty20 is scheduled to be held in the country. It seems unlikely that the ICC would allow a tournament to go ahead when one of its Full Members is barred from participating, and so it is possible that the event might be moved elsewhere. The financial implications for the ECB were that to happen would be far more devastating than any ICC fines.

The possibility of financial losses is always a great motivator, especially for the ECB, but we'll have to wait and see how this one plays out.
The Sun - PM blocks Mugabe’s tour (Uh, excuse me, but Mugabe's got nothing to do with the tour. But don't let that get in the way of honest reporting.)

The ICC have announced the groupings for the 2009 World Twenty20 tournament, to be held in England. The groups have been based on the results of the 2007 edition, and on paper Zimbabwe (seeded 9) seem to have been handed a reasonable draw, taking part in Group A alongside current champions India (seeded 1) and Bangladesh (seeded 8 ). Groups have been announced this early to allow the ECB to begin the scheduling process.
CricInfo - Groupings for World Twenty20 2009 fixed

After England scored 135 in their innings, Australia would have needed to reach their target within 9.3 overs to allow Zimbabwe to progress on Net Run Rate. That didn't happen, so Zimbabwe now finish bottom of the group and are eliminated from the competition. More later.