Cricket South Africa (CSA) has suspended its domestic agreements with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, president Norman Arendse announced in a media statement on Monday.
CSA has been one of Zimbabwe’s strongest backers, fighting against its international isolation and also signing bilateral agreements that allowed for development and administrative programmes in the embattled country and the participation of Zimbabwean teams in South Africa’s domestic competitions.
But Zimbabwe has been thrown into turmoil since its disputed general election in March, and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change on Sunday withdrew from a presidential run-off with President Robert Mugabe amid fears of violence.
”In the light of the worsening situation in Zimbabwe, CSA has reviewed its position in relation to Zimbabwe cricket. We have decided to suspend our bilateral agreements with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union until further notice,” Arendse was quoted as saying in the statement released on Monday.
”In the past, CSA has defended Zimbabwe cricket against heavy odds, but the general situation in Zimbabwe has now made this untenable.
”We will continue to comply with the International Cricket Council’s future tours programme regarding Zimbabwe, as we are bound to this programme as a full member of the ICC,” Arendse said.
South Africa’s next series with Zimbabwe is not scheduled until September 2010, in South Africa. — Reuters