'It's a grim day'

Clive Field, the representative of the Zimbabwe players, has warned that today's announcement that Peter Chingoka would head an interim committee of Zimbabwe Cricket would not help the current crisis.

"It's a concern to me that Chingoka continues," he admitted. "It seems bizarre that although he was head of an administration that they see fit to remove, they now make him the head of a new one. "If this is the bunch that's going to help them deliver cricket for the next six months, I don't know what they are going to be delivering at the end of it. It won't be cricket, it'll be a corpse."

Despite that, Field is willing to talk with Chingoka. "I am prepared to meet him. He's got my number and I've got his. Have tried to meet him in the past, even last week, but he said it wasn't necessary."

Field has been the spokesman for the 37 players who have said they will not play for the national team until Chingoka steps down and money owed to them is paid. He admitted that he thought the Sports & Recreation Commission, who made today's announcement, would be more sympathetic.

"I am sad because the players had been led to believe all the issues they raised in good faith would be looked at. But it would appear there has been an agenda at play which isn't necessary about player welfare. I think we're stuffed, probably more stuffed than we've ever been,"

He added that the appointment of the interim committee was unlikely to be beneficial - "It's a grim day" - and said that the ICC would probably now re-examine the Zimbabwe situation in view of the changes, but that a removal of Test status would finish things for good. "It would be economical suicide for them to be playing for a country that does not have Test status."

The ICC were not available for comment until it had spoken to all parties concerned, but a spokesman said a statement was expected to be issued within the next 24 hours.