In response to recent media and public comment on the issue of Australia's forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe, set to take place in September 2007, the ICC's position on this matter and on all touring commitments by its Full Members, is as follows:
Australia and Zimbabwe are Full Members of ICC.The Full Members of ICC entered into an arrangement named the Future Tours Program Agreement (FTPA) to regulate scheduling of international cricket matches between the ten Full Members.ICC is not a party to the FTPA.Initially, the FTPA operated as an informal agreement between the Members. At a meeting of the ICC Executive Board in New Zealand in March 2004, Cricket Australia proposed a motion that the FTPA be given the status of an ICC Regulation so that it was fully binding on all of the Members. The motion was successful and has the effect of binding the members to the FTPA and subjecting them to penalties for non-compliance.As part of the FTPA, the Members agreed that they would play each other in a minimum of two Test matches and three One-Day International matches (ODIs), home and away, in each six year cycle. They are free to agree to play additional matches if they wish to do so.Australia is scheduled to play Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe this year as part of its obligation under the FTPA.Zimbabwe has voluntarily and temporarily withdrawn from Test cricket so Australia's obligation is to play a minimum of three ODIs.The FTPA provides sanctions against Members that do not comply with their obligations under the FTPA. A Member that does not comply with its obligation to tour another Member is subject to a penalty of a minimum of US$ 2 million or such greater amount that the host Member can prove to have lost as a result of the failure to tour.This is not an ICC fine. It is a contractual obligation between the respective Members and if a Member fails to fulfill that obligation then it would have to pay the Member against which it is defaulting.In certain circumstances, a Member will be excused from its obligations to visit or host another member (acceptable non-compliance).If there are circumstances likely to give rise to a serious risk of death or personal injury to the players and/or officials due to take part in the Tour concerned or in respect of which appropriate insurance is unavailable on reasonable terms, such circumstances constitute acceptable non-compliance.If the government of one of the Members refuses "to grant a consent, exemption, approval or clearance or imposes any restriction or prohibition" for its team to tour another country, these circumstances constitute acceptable non-compliance.It should be noted that it is not sufficient for a government to express a preference, that its team not undertake a tour, or to express criticism of or condemn the activities of the government of a Member which is to be toured. A positive act of restriction or prohibition is required.In recent times India and Pakistan did not play bilateral series against each other in either country for 14 years (1998/99 - 2003/04) following Governmental refusal to allow such a series to take place, and the New Zealand Government, in 2005, refused permission for the Zimbabwe cricket team to enter and play matches in New Zealand.There were no contractual sanctions imposed against either India or New Zealand in those cases.The Future Tours Program can be viewed at: https://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/test/future_tours/
Brian Murgatroyd is ICC Manager - Media and Communications
