Zimbabwe ban: BCCI to wait till October; Ashwin calls it 'heartbreaking'

The suspension of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) by the ICC has cast serious doubts on the limited overs away series against India in January next year but the Board of Control for Cricket in India will wait till October to consider a back-up plan.

The ICC Board unanimously decided that ZC, an ICC Full Member, is in breach of Article 2.4 (c) and (d) of its constitution which imposes an obligation on members to provide a process for free and democratic elections.

This has certainly put India's home T20 series against Zimbabwe in a limbo. India are scheduled to play three T20s in Guwahati on January 5, Indore on January 7 and Pune on January 10.

"Right now, we are not really thinking of any back-up plan. We will wait for the ICC quarterly meeting on October 16. Since they have been given three months to get their house in order, it is only prudent that we wait," a senior BCCI official privy to the developments in ICC said on Friday.

He however agreed that situation could be a bit different if ZC fails to get a clearance from the ICC in October.

"Yes, that's our dedicated home window. We hope they get their house in order or else we will have to have some plans in place," he said.

It needs to be checked if there is any full-member nation (Afghanistan, Sri Lanka or West Indies) available for a short tour which will be followed by a mini limited overs series against Australia.

As a consequence of suspension, ICC funding to ZC has been frozen and representative teams from the African nation will not be allowed to participate in any ICC event.

The ICC Board heard from both the Sports and Recreation Committee representatives of Zimbabwe government and ZC before making its decision.

Ashwin says Zimbabwe Cricket suspension 'heartbreaking'

The suspension of Zimbabwe Cricket has affected players not only in their country but it has also found an echo in cricket powerhouse India, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin labelling the development 'heartbreaking'.

"Extremely heart breaking news for all Zim cricketers and their fans, reading the tweets of @SRazaB24 just shows the agony of cricketers and how their life's have been taken away from them. I pray that the lovely cricket nation returns to its glory asap! #ZimbabweCricket," Ashiwn tweeted.