Dave Richardson, the acting ICC chief executive, said that the World Twenty20 will go ahead in England next year despite the Zimbabwe issue dragging into a third day of talks, with the positions of the leading belligerents, in particular India, entrenched last night.

At an optimistic estimate, the ECB had six votes to support any resolution to block Zimbabwe from the event, but Bangladesh and West Indies — concerned about the precedent of weaker teams dropping from the international scene — remain closer to the stances of India and Zimbabwe.

Given the energy-sapping struggle to persuade opponents that the continued presence of Zimbabwe is inappropriate, the ECB delegation led by Giles Clarke, the chairman, could at least take comfort from the comments of Richardson at a formal ICC press conference to announce results of business actually concluded.

It is unthinkable that the British Government, which has been in regular talks over the phone with Clarke and his colleagues here, will allow the Zimbabwe party into the country next June, having already banned them from the bilateral series that would have taken place a month earlier.

Asked whether he thought the World Twenty20 will take place in England in 2009, Richardson, a former South Africa player and television pundit, gave an unequivocal “yes”. He also agreed that the tournament will lose credibility if it is staged elsewhere without England’s presence, the realistic alternative.

Richardson, standing in after Malcolm Speed retired ahead of schedule because of disagreements about money going to Zimbabwe, said: “It would be very sad if we did not have any of our full members, in particular England. If England are not in any international event, it loses a lot of interest for a lot of people.”

Ray Mali, the ICC president, who had insisted that Zimbabwe was placed on the agenda, did not present himself at the press conference despite being billed as attending. He was said to be “otherwise engaged” and David Morgan, who takes over as president today, took to the stage in his stead.

Morgan chose his words with caution. He said: “Some progress has been made and we will return to the subject of Zimbabwe tomorrow.” He refused to offer any clue as to what that progress may be.

The meeting again became heated with Norman Arendse, the president of Cricket South Africa, the loudest critic of Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman. The ECB is confident that reports of splits among the South Africa camp will not affect its vote.

The ECB will blame any failure to secure the result it wants squarely on India, whose importance within the ICC was apparent again when their contingent asked to see Chingoka and his colleagues at their hotel, the Grosvenor House, adjacent to the Westin Hotel, where the main business is unfolding at a snail’s pace. Chingoka left saying that “we are going to see our friends”. India asked them to consider taking a temporary step backwards to avoid the crisis that would be precipitated by a continuing stand-off.

At a time when money generated through Twenty20 is revolutionising the sport, the competence of the ICC as a governing body must again be open to question because of the evident division among members and the inability to resolve an issue that was expected to be finalised by late Wednesday afternoon.

India and England are also split over the forthcoming Twenty20 Champions League. David Collier, the ECB chief executive, argued during six hours of talks elsewhere that counties should not be blocked from the event if they field players from the unofficial Indian Cricket League.

England and South Africa have emerged as alternative hosts for the ICC Champions Trophy in September if Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the reserve choice, fail to meet security demands. The tournament brings together only the leading eight countries, so Zimbabwe’s presence would not be an issue.

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