Australia's tour of Zimbabwe will continue as scheduled despite concerns held by the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the African team's lack of quality players, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Tuesday.
CA chief executive James Sutherland said the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) were working hard to resolve a complex dispute with 15 sacked rebel players.
"The Test match is due to start on Saturday. As we understand it, (ICC chief) Malcolm Speed and the ICC are in Zimbabwe and there continue to be discussions along various lines," Sutherland told a news conference at CA's headquarters in Melbourne.
"At this stage, all I can say categorically, there is nothing to suggest the tour is going to take place in a different form to what was originally scheduled."
Ricky Ponting's top-ranked Australian team is scheduled to play the depleted Zimbabwe side in a two-Test series starting in Harare on Saturday, followed by three one-day internationals.
However, the Africans are without 15 of their best cricketers, including former captain Heath Streak, after the rebel players were sacked on May 10 in a dispute over team selection issues.
Sutherland said CA would be supportive if the ICC decided the tour should be postponed.
"They are the governing body for cricket around the world and obviously we would be understanding of their desires to do that," he said.
"We'd be wanting to listen to the ZCU about it as well."
Australia leg spinner Stuart MacGill made himself unavailable for the tour on moral grounds.
Zimbabwe were thrashed 5-0 in the recent one-day series at home to Sri Lanka and also lost the two-match Test series 2-0.
"In particular there is concern about the integrity of Test cricket," Speed said.
