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Cricket

Zimbabwe to learn fate at ICC summit

02/07/2008

The Zimbabwe cricketing board is today expected to learn whether it faces a global ban from the ICC.

The sport's world governing body is meeting in Dubai over the next two days to decide whether to suspend the south African nation from the leading group of cricket-playing countries.

Both the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa have already severed ties with their Zimbabwean counterparts over the worsening political situation in Harare.

In order for the Zimbabwe motion to be successful seven of the ICC's full members will need to back it.

According to reports from Dubai the vote may be delayed until tomorrow amid last-minute lobbying of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who traditionally back Zimbabwe.

Indian cricketing board secretary Niranjan Shah has already revealed no final decision had been taken on whether to support Zimbabwe.

"We're very clear that we would like to fully support Zimbabwe on the issue of full membership of the ICC," he said.

"We will go by our government's guidelines, which will be applicable to specific tours and interactions with Zimbabwe, but nothing has come so far."

If Zimbabwe retain their full membership it raises question marks over England's hosting of the World Twenty20 tournament next year, with the British government already saying Zimbabwe's cricketers would not be welcomed.