Zimbabwe’s Suspension from the ICC

Zimbabwe became the very first member of the ICC to be suspended. Even though associate members have been expelled and suspended before, the sanctioning of Zimbabwe by the ICC is unprecedented but certainly not expected. Let’s take a closer look at how this unfolded only a month ago.

Why was Zimbabwe Suspended

The ICC gathered in London, England a week ago and decided to suspend Zimbabwe immediately, among other things, because the country failed to provide a process for democratic and free elections while failing to make sure that there’s no interference from the government in its governance.

The ruling occurred due to the decision that was made by the SRC (Sports and Recreation Commission) to suspend the Zimbabwe cricket board following the elections that the SRC has claimed to be unconstitutional earlier in June. A financial audit of Zimbabwe was requested by the SRC, reaching out to the ICC for guidance and assistance, placing a temporary committee to operate cricket in the country until a board election can take place on September 2020.

How Does This Effect Zimbabwe

The funding for Zimbabwe has been completely cut off, and both the women’s and men’s cricket teams have been banned from any ICC events. However, given Zimbabwe’ Cricket’s financial state, and the country itself, the suspension caused all professional cricket to be ceased in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Cricket has stated that the country will no longer participate in a tri-series against Bangladesh in September. This means that players will also not receive any match fees or salaries. Also, the domestic season will not be staged due to the suspension. In a place that is battling with an economic meltdown already, the suspension has caused hundreds of people to be unemployed and managed to affect a great deal more.

The Sports and Recreation Commission

The Sports and Recreation Commission is primarily a statutory body that was created by a Zimbabwean Act of Parliament back in 1991. It’s a type of parastatal that is directed by Acts of Parliament and selected by the sports minister. However, it doesn’t form part of the government in Zimbabwe. Its purpose is to regulate sporting associations within the country and to ensure that each of them adheres to the constitutions. The chairperson for the SRC is Gerald Mlotshwa.

So What Happens Now?

It’s difficult to escape the fact that the ICC has grown quite weary of the Zimbabwe Cricket saga, allowing them to cut them loose quite quickly due to this. At the moment, there’s no recovery plan in sight. However, the board will look at this concern again in October 2019. Until then, the women’s and men’s cricket teams in Zimbabwe have absolutely no hope and no roadmap at the moment. Solomon Mire has recently announced that he will be retiring and loads of other players will follow in his footsteps if a solution isn’t found soon. Let’s hope this gets cleared up before its too late.