International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani has said that by adopting a "high-risk" approach, dissident Zimbabwe players are making it more difficult to find a lasting solution to the crisis facing the country's cricket.
The approach may also spell the end of their careers in international cricket and risks tearing the fabric of any future Zimbabwe team apart, Mani said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I am not going to pass comment on the rights or wrongs of what has happened in this case but what is clear is that by walking out on their teammates on the eve of a Test match, the rebels have placed Tatenda Taibu and his team in an invidious position," the ICC chief said.
"I am concerned that even if an agreement is now reached between the ZCU and the rebel players, this tactic of walking out on their teammates could irreparably split the dressing room, making a lasting solution even more difficult to find."
Mani said the rebels were ill-advised if they thought that walking out on the eve of the Test match, against Sri Lanka at Harare, starting later today, would force other Test-playing countries to interfere in Zimbabwean cricket.
"At another level, if the rebels believe that walking out will result in other countries interfering in Zimbabwean cricket, I think that they have been very badly advised."
Mani also ruled out ICC's intervention in the matter.
"The ICC has no mandate or authority from it members to unilaterally interfere in disputes between the people who govern the game in a particular country and the people who play cricket there.
"Many of our members have faced similar issues and are very strongly of the view that the only way to find a solution is at the local level," Mani said.
"Most recently New Zealand players went on strike while Australian players were on the cusp of strike action not so long ago. The ICC played no role in these disputes."
Mani said his disappointment in the player walk-out was magnified by it coming at a time when there was a prospect of progress being made.
"It is doubly disappointing for international cricket that this walk-out has taken place at a time when there appeared some prospect of progress.
"The ICC has had very direct and open discussion with the ZCU and emphasised the importance to international cricket of finding a solution to this dispute so that cricket in Zimbabwe can continue to be played at the highest level.
"The ICC has highlighted the international implications of this impasse to the ZCU and emphasised the ICC's responsibility to ensure that everything possible is done to protect the integrity of the sport."
Mani said he was also disappointed after the rebel players rejected some of the offers made by the ZCU.
"To the credit of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union it has put forward a number of concessions to try and break this impasse.
[But] these concessions have been rejected out of hand by the rebel players which is disappointing."
