Halt on Zimbabwe's participation

Zimbabwe won't be taking part in South Africa's domestic four-day competition, Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), told the Times, a South African newspaper.

The decision came at a meeting of CSA's general council on Friday, which was called after players expressed their reservations over travelling to Zimbabwe. The Highveld Lions were to play a four-day match in Harare starting on October 28.

Majola indicated that there would be further talks with Tony Irish, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) and that decisions regarding Zimbabwe's participation had been put on hold.

"Instead of them playing in the SuperSport Series, we are looking at the possibility of Zimbabwe playing some four-day matches in South Africa against composite teams," Majola said. Zimbabwe might still feature in the domestic one-day competitions in South Africa.

Majola re-affirmed that CSA would oblige the request from the ICC to assist Zimbabwe cricket.

"The decision has been taken. It is now a matter of sorting out logistics," he said. He also suggested that the objections from the SACA were cricket-based, over the extra fixtures and possible impact of Zimbabwe playing the competition, especially if the fixtures clashed with their international obligations.

With the other competitions - the MTN 45-overs competition and the Standard Bank Pro20 in March - starting only next year, there is still a chance that Zimbabwe could play. Majola dismissed suggestions there were moral objections to playing in Zimbabwe. "We leave politics to the politicians and the ICC."