Zim plays artful dodger! Now what?

(##include msid=194940,type=11##)Looking to end the long-brewing race controversy in Zimbabwe cricket,the ZCU has offered Australians the choice of ending their African safariprematurely. The Aussies will be playing three one day international matchesthough.The main reason for their seeking to get out of their Testcommitments was the impending teleconference of ICC directors of the tencricket-playing nations which were going to vote on whether to divest theAustralia-Zimbabwe series off its official status. Unfortunately forthe Africans, the issue just may have been enlarged to include the question ofZimbabwe''s Test status too. It was clear even before the meeting that the ICCnations already had seven votes in favour of divesting the series off Teststatus in the bag, and only New Zealand and South Africa would have voted forretaining it. Fearing a demotion, the ZCU was intent on a course ofaction that would avoid this question being raised by the ICC at all. It alsorealized that the ICC CEO Malcolm Speed’s mediation efforts had beencancelled by the ZCU even before it began. In fact, when Speed hadcome to Harare on a ZCU invitation to talk about the case, he was denied anyaccess to anybody in the Zimbabwe cricket authority. He left without meetinganyone. It must have left a bad taste in his mouth, especially as no decisioncould be taken to resolve the case and get the rebel cricketers back into theZimbabwe Test side. Surely, the ICC was looking to end this unseemly controversyas soon as possible.And, now that Zimbabwe have found an exit routeto safely escape the impending fall of the ICC sword on their Test status, whatcan be the next step for the embattled Zimbabwe Cricket Union.First and foremost has tobe the question of addressing the queries raised by Heath Streak and otherrebels regarding the choosing of the 15 players in the Test side. The rebelshave demanded that no interference must come from any source except the properauthorities and that the choice of players be made in terms of performance andability and not any other extraneous reason like race or lobby.Ifthis controversy is not solved in a proper manner then it will colour Zimbabwecricket forever in the worst way. Not only will it establish a precedent forchoosing players on the basis of their powerful godfathers, it would also ensurethat the cricketing world never takes its team seriously. In fact sooner, ratherthan later, the country and the team would get blacklisted and all its rights toparticipate in Test and ODI cricket would be taken away.The case ofSouth Africa being banned from all forms of cricketing contacts, due to itspolicy of Apartheid, with any Test playing nation is very fresh in mind. Thesame fate awaits Zimbabwe if the politicians interfering in sports do not takenote and abandon their plans to mess about in it.As far as the ICCand the other ten nations are concerned, the issue is of extreme import and adecision will have to be taken fast. Zimbabwe may have escaped punishment at themoment, yet the issue is still not solved and will need extremely good diplomacyto restore status quo ante. While there is no denying that politicsinterferes in sports to a degree in all countries, yet the blatant use of powerto take full control of the sporting institutions should attract worlddisapproval. It may have been long in coming, yet now, all the cricketingcountries are taking note and they are also moving to head of any lasting impacton the game of cricket.