England set to tour as ICC clear Zimbabwe

England's tour to Zimbabwe next month looks certain to go ahead after an inquiry found no evidence of racism within the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

England's tour to Zimbabwe next month looks certain to go ahead after an inquiry found no evidence of racism within the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

The independent report was presented to the International Cricket Council yesterday and outlined the chain of events which resulted in the current impasse between the ZCU and the players.

But it found no evidence of the racism alleged by 14 white cricketers, which led to them going on strike last April. It also virtually ended England's hopes of avoiding their contentious 10-day trip.

England's hope of cancelling the tour - which begins on 26 November - now rests with a report into safety. That will be presented to them following the return of Professional Cricketers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan and John Carr, the head of cricketing operations at the England and Wales Cricket Board, from a trip to Zimbabwe next weekend.

The report claimed the ZCU policies for the integration of cricket in Zimbabwe were "based on sound principles".

The ICC president, Ehsan Mani, claimed it was now time to move on, stressing: "The onus is now on the players to demonstrate that they are also willing to resolve the outstanding issues by committing to this dispute's resolution process."