ECB wants Zimbabwe explusion

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke has been in talks with Indian counterpart Sharad Pawar to lobby support for expelling Zimbabwe from world cricket.

Clarke took advantage of Pawar's presence at Lord's for the 25th anniversary celebration of India's 1983 World Cup win to discuss the matter.

Lord's chiefs have officially severed bilateral ties with the African country and unlike on previous occasions when the Zimbabwe issue has raised its head, this time the ECB has Government backing.

Political intervention will prevent the Zimbabweans fulfilling their scheduled tour here next year but it will take the support of the other major nations to exclude them from the 2009 World Twenty20 event.

And India - like South Africa, who have cut links with Zimbabwe Cricket - have been allies with the Zimbabweans in the past.

The ECB hopes cricket's global community recognises the need to act on moral grounds following the drastic deterioration of life in the country under Robert Mugabe's regime.

Throwing Zimbabwe out is far from a certainty, hence the lobbying, but ICC president-elect David Morgan said: "I am sure that will be in the minds of many of the delegates.

"I think there is every chance that it could happen, but it would be a very difficult decision."

Although Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham's correspondence with Clarke on Thursday stopped short of banning the Zimbabweans from participating in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the inference is there will be such an intervention if the ICC do not act first.

An ECB statement read: "The ECB deplores the position in Zimbabwe and, like Cricket South Africa, finds this untenable.

"Therefore all bilateral arrangements are suspended with Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate effect.

"The Government has written to the ECB and has made a clear instruction that Zimbabwe's bilateral tour scheduled under the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2009 should be cancelled."

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