zimcricketnews.com

ZC have issued a statement regarding Cricket Scotland's decision not to tour Zimbabwe for their scheduled Intercontinental Cup match, and in doing so have ruled out playing the match on neutral territory:

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has confirmed receiving official notification from Cricket Scotland about the Scottish governments directive not to tour Zimbabwe for the scheduled ICC Intercontinental Cup matches against the
Zimbabwe A team.

"The decision is regrettable," said ZC managing director Ozias Bvute. "We have consulted with our various authorities who have all ruled out the possibility of these matches being played in a neutral venue," he added.

"I remain of the belief that sport can build bridges and I have confidence that it can also act as a catalyst for healing and national unity. It is with this in mind that we hope that in the not too distant future, all the strained sporting relations will be restored for the common good of all," said Bvute.

Emphasis added. That puts the ball back in the ICC's court as to how the match should be handled, and with the two boards apparently unwilling to compromise they'll be left with a difficult decision as to what sanctions should be taken for failure to honour the fixture, and against which side.

Scotland on Sunday reports that, acting on advice from the UK Foreign Office, Cricket Scotland have decided not to travel to Zimbabwe for their upcoming Intercontinental Cup fixture. Failure to honour the fixture would cost Scotland any hope of a place in the tournament final, but the paper reports that discussions are underway with the ICC about holding the fixture on neutral territory, as had originally been intended. The Scottish position on touring Zimbabwe does seem out-of-step with other nations at the moment, though, especially with Ireland - whose team is also drawn from Northern Ireland, a part of the UK - having already agreed to tour.
Scotland on Sunday - Saltires out of Zimbabwe tie on Foreign Office advice

CricInfo are carrying an itinerary for Ireland's trip to Zimbabwe, from which I'm assuming that they've formally agreed to tour. The schedule is for an Intercontinental Cup fixture against Zimbabwe XI, and three ODIs against the senior Zimbabwe side, with all matches to be played at Harare Sports Club. Here are the details:

20-23 September 2010	Zimbabwe XI v Ireland
26 September 2010	Zimbabwe v Ireland: 1st ODI
28 September 2010	Zimbabwe v Ireland: 2nd ODI
30 September 2010	Zimbabwe v Ireland: 3rd ODI

With Ireland having recently overtaken Zimbabwe in the ICC ODI rankings, the three ODIs would give Zimbabwe a chance to reclaim 10th place.

The BBC reports that Cricket Scotland will meet tomorrow to discuss their upcoming Intercontinental Cup fixture against Zimbabwe XI. Pressure is on the Scots to travel to Zimbabwe to fulfil the fixture, instead of playing on neutral territory as originally scheduled - in fact, the BBC report claims that if the Scots refuse to travel to Zimbabwe they could be faced with forfeiting the fixture.

Zim sports minister met the Cricket Scotland last week, and stated in a Twitter post after the meeting that he was confident that the Scots would tour. We'll find out soon enough if his confidence was misplaced or not.
BBC Sport - Scotland could face Zimbabwe match dilemma

A tour of Pakistan by Zimbabwe is looking ever more likely, but Cricinfo have been looking at Pakistan's schedule over the next few months and wondering where the series could be slotted in - the side have a very busy period ahead of them, with series against South Africa (in October / November) and New Zealand (in December / January / February) already on the calendar. If the series is to be held before the World Cup in February 2011, that leaves just two possible windows: early December when, according to the Future Tours Programme Zimbabwe are due to be playing Bangladesh (although no details of that series have yet been released), or mid-February, immediately before the World Cup begins. The February window seems more likely at the moment.
Cricinfo - Zimbabwe commit to flood-relief games in Pakistan

According to EuroSport, Zimbabwe Cricket have been in touch with their Pakistani counterparts to discuss touring the country, with proceeds of the tour to be used to assist flood-relief efforts in the country. No international side has been to Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket side last year, and the suggestion will no doubt lead to concerns that players' safety is properly taken into account if any tour goes ahead.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had stated in a TV interview earlier in the week that they had contacted several boards regarding a fund-raising tour, while PCB media manager Nadeem Sarwar confirmed that initial discussions had been held with ZC:

"They are willing to come over and play a series as they want to help us raise funds for the flood victims. They have left it up to us to give dates and schedule for the tour."

I have no problems with the reasoning behind the tour (and there's no doubt that the Pakistani floods have been getting a lot less publicity here in the UK than other recent disasters of a similar scale, so the aid is required), but I'd be a lot happier if the series was played in Zimbabwe...
EuroSport - Zimbabwe offers to tour Pakistan to help flood victims

CricInfo has news that Henry Olonga has restated his desire for cricketing contacts to be restored with Zimbabwe, despite his own misgivings about some of the people running ZC - although he has ruled out returning home himself:

"Personal safety is still a consideration for me, although the Zimbabwean government seems to be softening. The winds of change are blowing through the country. Maybe it's time now to consider bringing Zimbabwe out of isolation from a broader perspective.

"We still have the issue of slightly suspicious gentlemen running the sport. I don't really trust the man [Bvute] but he's shown a genuine desire to re-engage with some of the former players. They have extended the olive branch to players like Heath Streak and a few others, to try to get some of these players back involved in the running of cricket because their loss has cost the country."

Zim sports minister David Coltart is also set to meet with Cricket Scotland to discuss Scotland's Intercontinental Cup fixture with Zimbabwe XI - pressure is on CS to agree to play the fixture in Zimbabwe instead of on neutral ground, and Coltart is hoping to reassure the Scottish authorities that the country is safe:

"I have to go and speak to Scottish cricket authorities, and one of the main things they want to do is have me speak to the players because they are nervous about going out. They've seen pictures. One has to recognise that there is a lot of scepticism in the UK regarding this political arrangement. My main task is to try to overcome that scepticism. I can't disregard it because in some respects it's well founded."

England do seem to be in a minority of one as far as their views on cricket contact with Zim are concerned. Coltart has proven himself to be rather persuasive when speaking the Australian and New Zealand authorities - hopefully his good run will continue with the Scots.
CricInfo - Olonga asks for renewal of ties with Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Metro has a quote from UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, which is quite clear about his line on cricketing contact with Zimbabwe:

"The problem is simple. Zimbabwe Cricket is headed by a man who sits on the EU banned list and he sits on that list for good reasons. As long as he is in charge of Zimbabwe cricket it is extremely difficult for them to be fully integrated into the global cricketing community. Officially government advice remains we discourage teams from playing. England will be discouraged from travelling over there and it is difficult for them to come here while their chairman remains on the banned list. It is very difficult to welcome a team here if the chairman cannot get a visa to enter this country."

As far as I'm aware, none of Zimbabwe's players are on the EU banned list, so I'm not seeing the problem here - Chingoka can just stay at home. I note, though, that the phrase used is "discouraged" and not "barred".

It's also worth noting that, as far as Scotland are concerned, responsibility for sport belongs to the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, and there's been no comment from them so far on their attitude to Scotland touring Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Metro - England won`t play Zim as long as Chingoka is still the Chairman…

No word yet from either board, but Associated Press are reporting that the Intercontinental Cup fixture between Zimbabwe XI and Ireland, which had ben set to take place on neutral ground in South Africa, has been moved to Zimbabwe. The report also states that Cricket Ireland have agreed to three one-day internationals to supplement to four-day match - it's not clear at the moment whether these will be against Zimbabwe XI or against the full senior side. More details when I get them.
Taiwan News - Ireland agrees to play 3 ODIs in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe XI trounced Canada by an innings and 73 runs, taking only three days to wrap up their Intercontinental Cup meeting with the North American side and in doing so claiming the largest winning margin of the tournament so far and maintaining their unbeaten record. The seeds of the victory were planted on day one when after winning the toss, Canada were put in to bat by Vusi Sibanda and promptly collapsed in a way that's normally associated with Zimbabwe - and I have to say it's nice to watch such collapses from the other side. Canada managed a poor 129 from their first innings, with Rizwan Cheema's unbeaten 46 being the pick of the bunch (and one of only three scores to reach double figures). Zimbabwe's bowlers produced a team effort, with Ed Rainsford and Tendai Chatara bagging three each and Shingi Masakadza and Timycen Maruma each bagging a pair.

Zimbabwe XI's first innings was for the most part a story of starts that didn't go on, but a stand-out knock of 177 by Craig Ervine - his second ton in two matches - helped push the side to 351 before he was finally stumped, the last wicket to fall. That Shingi Masakadza's 35 was the next-highest score underlines the continuing frailty of Zimbabwe's batting, though, and is a problem that remains to be addressed. Umar Bhatti took 6/98 for Canada, but despite his best efforts the home side were left with a mountain to climb even to make Zimbabwe bat again.

It was a mountain they failed to conquer, as Canada's second innings was barely better than the first. Hamza Tariq was the top-scorer this time around, scoring 39 before being run out, but a stellar performance from Shingi Masakadza (5/58) saw the home side bowled out for 149, well short of making Zimbabwe bat again, and that was all she wrote.

Full scorecard below the cut. Zimbabwe XI now move to second place in the tournament table, behind Scotland, who along with Ireland are our remaining opponents in the competition. Full scorecard below the cut.
Canada 129 (54.2 overs; Rizwan Cheema 46*, Chatara 3/21) & 149 (56.5 overs; Hamza Tariq 39, Masakadza 5/58), Zimbabwe XI 351 (97.1 overs; Ervine 177, Bhatti 6/98). Zimbabwe XI win by an innings and ?3 runs.