Zimbabwe/Australia series scrapped
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's Two-test series against world champions Australia, to start on Saturday, has been called off.
In an unprecedented move, Zimbabwe Cricket Union and Cricket Australia agreed to adjourn the matches to a later date at a meeting in Harare.
Zimbabwe were to field a severely weakened team after 15 white players walked out in a dispute over selection.
The joint decision came two hours before an International Cricket Council (ICC) teleconference which looked likely to strip the series of its test status.
Three one-day internationals, originally set for June, are to be brought forward to May 25, 27 and 29. All will be in Harare.
"The Zimbabwe Cricket Union and Cricket Australia have agreed to adjourn the test matches to a date to be fixed and have requested the ICC executive board to endorse this agreement at its June meeting," said a statement read out a news conference by Cricket Australia chairman Bob Merriman.
"We are saying we should not be playing the test matches in the interests of test match standards throughout the world."
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said: "It's a very understandable decision. It's a matter now for the ICC to determine what now happens.
"All I can say is that Australian cricket fans want Australian teams to play the best teams from other countries and they don't want any of those teams selected on the basis of race."
LAST MINUTE
The ICC teleconference had been called soon after the ZCU snubbed ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed by inviting him to address them in Harare on Monday before withdrawing the invitation at the last minute.
Zimbabwe cricket has been in turmoil since 15 of their leading white players refused to play last month.
They accused the Zimbabwe board of allowing politicians to dictate the make-up of the team and of rushing young black players into the side before they were ready.
The ZCU, which follows a policy of promoting black players to reflect the country's population, first offered to negotiate but then lost patience and sacked the players. They were sacked again on Friday.
Zimbabwe were forced to field a young, largely black side which has been thrashed by Sri Lanka 5-0 in a one-day series and 2-0 in the tests.
The Sri Lanka series raised ICC concerns over damage to the "integrity of cricket."
No series has been declassified before although a match between South Africa and India in 2001 was not recognised by the ICC when the sides sacked match referee Mike Denness without the governing body's approval.
