Asian nations set to throw cricketing lifeline to Zimbabwe

Asian countries led by India are expected to oppose any move to ban Zimbabwe at a meeting of the International Cricket Council at its headquarters here this week.

The ICC's executive board, which is meeting in Dubai this week as part of a five-day annual conference that began Sunday, is expected to debate the contentious issue of Zimbabwe over the next two days.

Last week, Zimbabwe reacted angrily to the threat of expulsion by the ICC over the country's political turmoil.

Zimbabwe Cricket chief Ozias Bvute said Saturday: "We are a full member of FIFA and are currently participating in a World Cup qualifying campaign, we have a swimming programme which has produced Kirsty Coventry, a recent winner in the world championships. So it would be strange that the only sport to take action on so-called current worries is cricket when all the other world sporting bodies have not taken that stance."

"I cannot speculate on the outcome, but we have obviously noted the actions of others," Bvute told the British Broadcasting Corp. ahead of the ICC meeting. "Over the last few years there have been problems between England and Zimbabwe. This is not a new phenomena."

Barring a direct instruction from the Government of India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, or BCCI - the financial powerhouse of world cricket - has made it clear it would vote against the move, initiated by the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa.

India's BCCI chief Niranjan Shah said yesterday that his group "would like to fully support Zimbabwe Cricket."

"We will go by our government's guidelines, which will be applicable to specific tours and interactions with Zimbabwe, but nothing has come so far," Shah said.

Any move to oust Zimbabwe would require a two-thirds majority vote - or seven votes out of the 10 full ICC members.

The Pakistan Cricket Board, which is sending its 'A' team on a tour to the African country, has also indicated it will support Zimbabwe. With Sri Lanka and Bangladesh usually voting the same way as the other two Asian nations, Zimbabwe is expected to retain its status in world cricket.