KEY POINTS:
Nine words from Nelson Mandela were instrumental in saving the World Twenty20 for England yesterday and averted cataclysm in the international game.
As Zimbabwe agreed to withdraw from the tournament rather than lose a vote after tortuous negotiations entered a third day, it emerged that delegates at the International Cricket Council's board meeting had been deeply influenced by the brief intervention of South Africa's former president.
If the decision was a fudge, since Zimbabwe retain their full membership and the £5 million ($13 million) a year that goes with it, it was also all that England could have hoped for.
The conclusion was in the balance until India, the Zimbabweans' staunchest allies, recognised that the game was probably up and brokered the sweetest compromise available. Without Mandela it might not have happened.
At a London dinner marking his 90th birthday last week, he mentioned "the tragic failure of leadership in our neighbouring Zimbabwe" without comment or embellishment. But as Giles Clarke, the satisfied and relieved chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board said, that proved quite enough.
"This statement was quoted during the board meeting by Norman Arendse, the chairman of Cricket South Africa and had a significant impact," said Clarke. "Nelson Mandela is a legendary figure and, as Mr Arendse said, he is a modern day saint. His pronouncements carry weight."
While it might have affected some positions, it still took India until late to change their minds, recognising that England would simply not countenance Zimbabwe's involvement in next year's Twenty20 event.
It is not quite a done deal since the Zimbabwe delegation has to return to its own board for the withdrawal to be ratified. As president Robert Mugabe has ties with the board, rescinding it remains possible.
There was no question, said the ICC, of the decision being viewed as anything to do with the political state of the country.
The ICC expect the world to believe that it was to do with the impoverished state of the team.
The ICC statement said: "The Zimbabwe delegation has agreed to take this decision in the greater interest of world cricket and the ICC. This recommendation should be viewed as one-off." It was noticeable that nobody was publicly critical of Zimbabwe.
Thus, Zimbabwe will remain a full member with full voting rights and will not suffer financially.
- INDEPENDENT
