Sport - Cricket

BCCI sticks up for Zimbabwe

Dubai: Throwing its weight behind Zimbabwe Cricket, the BCCI has made it clear that it would oppose any move to expel the trouble-torn African nation from the International Cricket Council in the July 2 meeting of the governing body’s executive committee.

England and South Africa, who have snapped their ties with Zimbabwe, are pushing for the ZC’s expulsion from the ICC but with the BCCI and other Asian nations backing it, the ICC may find it tough to go ahead with any stringent sanction against the African nation.

“We are very clear that we would like to fully support Zimbabwe on the issue of full membership of the ICC,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said.

“We are aware that some member boards want Zimbabwe’s membership taken away, but we are with Zimbabwe on this. However, we also understand the positions taken by ECB and CSA as they were prompted by the advice of the governments in those countries,” he said.

“We do not blame them as they are bound by what their governments decide. But our position is very clear on the issue of full membership and we would like to totally support Zimbabwe on that,” he added.

The ICC has been a mute spectator to the worsening situation in Zimbabwe Cricket, audit reports of which have given damning evidence of financial bungling.

The ICC has been forced to put the issue on its agenda during the annual conference which began here on Sunday.

Even prominent former Zimbabwe players have called for ZC’s expulsion stating that its officials were filling their own coffers with the money earmarked for developing cricket in the country.

But ZC remains defiant with its chief Ozias Bvute saying that there was no ground to dismiss ZC from ICC as the African country remains an active member in other international sports bodies. — PTI

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