Zimbabwe ban overshadows World Twenty20

Next summer's ICC World Twenty20 could still be moved from England to another host country, following the news that the British government is set to ban the Zimbabwe side from entry to the UK next year.

There is no issue surrounding the suspension of the bilateral agreement between England and Zimbabwe, which means that Zimbabwe's proposed Test and ODI tour is now off the agenda. However, when a country agrees to host an ICC event, it agrees that there will be no restrictions on entry for teams, officials, media or spectators from any of the participating countries.

It is possible that Zimbabwe's status will change next week when the ICC meets to discuss their future. One of the knock-on effects of that may be that their automatic entry to the competition is revoked. It is also possible that the political situation in Zimbabwe may change should Robert Mugabe stand down or be forced from office.

Time is, at the moment, on England's side. For now, senior ICC officials have suggested that a ban on Peter Chingoka, ZC's chairman, would not be enough to cause the tournament to be switched, but if the side was prevented from participating then the ICC would have no choice but to look for an alternative venue.

The ICC is in no hurry to clarify the situation and a decision could be made as late as early March 2009, three months before the due start.

It is unclear what the knock-on effects would be for the ECB and hosting grounds as tickets go on sale next week, and sponsorship and other commercial deals are already being put in place.