Zimbabwe's exile from Test cricket is set to continue, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Friday, amidst reports of financial corruption which the global governing body said it would investigate.
An ICC statement, issued after a two-day executive board meeting in London, said: "Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) reported it is not yet ready to return to Test cricket; it was agreed it would report back when it felt it was ready to step up so that the ICC board could make a decision on the matter.
"In relation to allegations of financial irregularities levelled against ZC, it was agreed there would be an independent audit of ZC's accounts by an internationally recognised firm. "The results of that audit will be presented to the next meeting of the ICC Board, set for October 2007 in Dubai."
Zimbabwe have been in decline as an international cricket force since a race row in 2005 led to the dismissal of former captain Heath Streak. In total 15 senior players, all white, were sacked, a move that sparked a chain of events that saw Zimbabwe temporarily suspended from Test cricket before the country's own officials effectively exiled the national side from the five-day game.
Australia, the world's leading Test and one-day side, in May called off a proposed tour of Zimbabwe, due to take place in September, after players were banned from travelling to the African nation by Prime Minister John Howard, a fierce critic of the policies of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
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