HARARE, Jan 19: Zimbabwe cricket lurched into another crisis on Wednesday when Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) suspended its national team from Test matches for the rest of the year.

The shock decision, announced at a meeting here, means that the planned two-Test tour of the Caribbean, scheduled for April and May, will now not take place.

It is the second time in two years that Zimbabwe Cricket, split by ongoing claims of racism, corruption and player strikes, has been suspended from Tests.

A similar decision was taken in 2004 as results and performances on the field became increasingly humiliating.

“The interim board have decided to suspend Zimbabwe’s participation in Test matches until early next year,” ZC Interim Board Chairman Peter Chingoka said in a statement.

—Agencies