ICC Suspends Zimbabwe Cricket with Immediate Effect; Full Member Fails to Prevent Political Interference in Sports

The International Cricket Council has taken a shocking decision in the Annual Conference in London and has suspended Zimbabwe Cricket on Thursday with an immediate effect. The Zimbabwe Cricket has failed to prevent their government from political interference in sports. As per the release by ICC, the decision was taken unanimously as they had failed to fulfil their obligation that there was no government interference in its administration for cricket. This means that the Zimbabwe Cricket Council will not receive any funds from the ICC. ICC Annual Meet: Zimbabwe May Face Sanctions, NoC for T20 Leagues on Agenda.

With this, there is also a cloud on the participation of the men participating for the men's T20 World Cup qualifying tournament, starting in October 2019. “The ICC Board unanimously decided that the Full Member had failed to fulfil their obligation to provide a process for free and democratic elections and to ensure that there is no government interference in its administration for cricket," an ICC statement read.

The statement also said that it is important to keep sports free from politics. “What has happened in Zimbabwe is a serious breach of the ICC Constitution and we cannot allow it to continue unchecked," ICC chairman Shashank Manohar said. "The ICC wants cricket to continue in Zimbabwe in accordance with the ICC Constitution," he further added. This is not the first time that a cricketing federation has been suspended. Prior to this, the ICC also suspended Croatia Cricket Federation and the Zambia Cricket Union for not sticking to the terms of the cricketing body.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 18, 2019 11:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).