LONDON, April 13: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday called on Zimbabwe's players and their board to resolve a dispute over the controversial departure of Heath Streak as captain.
The sport's world governing body, however, said it would not intervene directly. "I urge all parties involved to act in the best interests of the game," said ICC President Ehsan Mani in a statement.
He hoped the two sides could "reach a sensible solution", adding: "The ICC is obviously concerned about the current dispute but would not seek to intervene in this type of domestic issue as it is internal to the Zimbabwe cricket community."
The Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) announced earlier this month that Streak, a world-class pace bowler and one of the mainstays of the team, had resigned from all cricket after demanding an overhaul of the selection panel.
Streak, through his father, denied he had resigned. Thirteen members of the Zimbabwe squad have supported Streak by threatening to quit. That would mean the board having to field a virtual second-string side under new captain Tatenda Taibu. Zimbabwe, with scant playing resources, are already struggling to compete at both Test and one-day level.
Mani said that he would discuss the issue "first hand" with Zimbabwe Cricket Union President Peter Chingoka when he travels to England later this month. Meanwhile, thirteen members of the Zimbabwe cricket squad are set to quit after meeting the ZCU on Tuesday to discuss a range of concerns.
"It doesn't look good from our side, and I'm pretty sure 13 of us are going to walk," one player said on Tuesday. "It looks an absolute mess, and we can't play under those conditions."
The issues included the decision by captain Heath Streak to resign after the ZCU dismissed his concerns over the composition of the national selection committee. Wicket-keeper Tatenda Taibu, 20, has taken over as skipper. "They're refusing a lot of our points without even negotiating them. It's a dictatorship," the player added. -Reuters
