Vince Hogg, who has been at the centre of a bitter dispute with rebel players, has resigned as managing director of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.
A ZCU statement on Thursday said Hogg, who took up his post in 2002, would leave on August 6.
Hogg, 51, has presided over the dispute in which 15 white players have refused to make themselves available over what they see as racially driven selection policies.
The players have been sacked and the inexperienced team Zimbabwe has been forced to select has lost 10 consecutive matches.
Zimbabwe's poor recent record has prompted the International Cricket Council to postpone indefinitely six Test matches Zimbabwe were to have played against Australia, Pakistan and England this year.
"The past few months in office have really been strenuous on me," the statement quoted Hogg as saying. "I have decided to resign because I was no longer enjoying the work."
Hogg criticised the rebels' stand, which they took after Heath Streak's tenure as captain ended on April 2 when he questioned the composition of the selection panel.
"My view is that the recent player dispute was ill-conceived at the outset and has left both parties and cricket in Zimbabwe worse off," Hogg was quoted as saying.
"I personally did not agree with the action taken by the players in boycotting games and breaching their contracts.
"Unfortunately, there have been no winners in this dispute. My hope is that a number of the players return to play cricket for Zimbabwe alongside (new captain) Tatenda Taibu."
VIEW DENIED
The statement quoted Hogg as denying the widespread view that the ZCU was controlled by Zanu-PF, Zimbabwe's ruling party.
"The ZCU has been described by some as an organisation controlled by politicians and government policy but I can state in all conscience that I have never been pressured by any political force or government department during my tenure as managing director," Hogg said.
ZCU chairman Peter Chingoka accepted Hogg's resignation with regret. "While we are sorry he wants to go, we respect his decision and the personal reason for it," Chingoka was quoted as saying.
Streak told Reuters from Birmingham where he is playing county cricket for Warwickshire: "I'm not surprised (by Hogg's decision), but I am surprised it's taken this long for the resignation to come.
"We're not happy that anyone loses their job or has to resign, that wasn't our intention. But I still believe what we did was in the interests of cricket."
He added: "Maybe if he [Hogg] had cricket at heart he should have tried to stick it out and tried to fix things.
"He understands a lot of the problems, but I don't think he has helped the situation by not being prepared to stand up and say what's right and wrong."
Former fast bowler Hogg played two one-day internationals for Zimbabwe at the 1983 World Cup, both against Australia.
Hogg, who managed a real estate company before joining the ZCU, is to return to commercial life in Zimbabwe.