And now the end is near

Peter Chingoka: survives to continue leading Zimbabwe's descent into chaos © Getty Images

There have been rumours flying round Harare for the last fortnight that the government was about to step in and take charge of Zimbabwe Cricket and that Peter Chingoka, the man whose presence has been at the heart of the players' strike, would survive. Today's announcement confirmed those fears, but went further than even the most pessimistic forecast.

The last pretence that this sorry affair is apolitical has been crushed by the revelation that all whites and Asians have been removed from office, and the accompanying message that anyone who disagreed with the new regime could effectively get stuffed. The reappointment of the increasingly despised and distrusted Chingoka was a two-fingered salute to those opposing the board and its widespread mismanagement. And in case anyone doubted the message, it was confirmed that Robert Mugabe was fully aware of what was being done.

Barring some remarkable about-turn by the players - and that seems as likely as a democratic election in this desperate land - the move by the Mugabe government signals the beginning of the end for meaningful cricket in Zimbabwe. A few of the younger players might return, but so thin now is the talent base, that won't be enough. One administrator told me today that even the best XI available is no longer good enough to compete with the second XI of any other Test-playing country. Things are that bad.

The aggressive rhetoric of the announcement is typical of the way things happen here. In so many walks of life the government has steamed in to take charge, and in every one of them that has resulted in collapse and virtual destruction of whatever it was they took over. And always the Zanu-PF acolytes spout on about how much better things are while everyone watches the infrastructure rapidly crumble. The only difference here is that Chingoka had already done a good demolition job before the government piled in.

By ousting all whites and Asians - and this presumably means that the respected vice-president, Ahmed Ebrahim, has also been booted out among others - a situation has been created where people such as Cyprian Mandenge and Tavengwa Mukuhlani rule the roost. Their track records speak for themselves. Make no mistake. This is political. You're either pro-Mugabe or you're out. The fact that all whites and Asians have been ousted is because many believe they are, by definition, anti-government.

The new interim committee will bulldoze through new legislation to create new provinces, packed with pro-Mugabe sympathisers, to ensure that the board is never again challenged. The provinces which have dared to stand up to Chingoka will be culled and the existing administrators replaced with puppets. And don't expect any more questions about what has happened to the several million dollars unaccounted for over the last year.

Bankrupt, and lacking experienced administrators or any players of note, it is only a matter of time before Zimbabwe Cricket ceases to have any meaningful role to play on the international stage. The matter will probably come to a head before Zimbabwe is forced to name a squad of schoolboys to tour West Indies in April. The collapse of the remaining domestic structure is already underway.

The corpse might still be warm, but the funeral arrangements can start. It's a tragic day for Zimbabwe, and for world cricket.