JOHN Howard has flown to Zimbabwe in a bid to save his nomination for International Cricket Council vice-president and future president.

The former Prime Minister, a trenchant critic of Zimbabwe during his 11 years in office, will meet Zimbabwe Cricket officials in Harare today.

He has made the trip with Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke, who is representing Australia and New Zealand.

After an initial disagreement, both countries nominated Mr Howard as the Australasian representative for a two-year term as vice-president. He would then become president for a further two years.

On a five-region rotation system used by the ICC, Mr Howard's nomination should have been a formality at next week's ICC annual meeting in Singapore but Zimbabwe began agitating behind the scenes to oppose the move and was publicly supported by South Africa.

Crucially, all-powerful India is yet to approve the nomination despite incoming ICC president Sharad Pawar, an Indian government minister, offering his support for Mr Howard.

Mr Howard needs seven of the 10 so-called Test playing nations to support him.

If India opposes him the other Asian countries, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are likely to vote as a bloc with Zimbabwe and South Africa.

It will not be the first time the Afro-Asia bloc has imposed its will on the ICC.

Another Australian, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, was sacked two years ago because he instituted what became a damning investigation into the Zimbabwe Cricket's finances. The ICC still refuses to release the report.

The ZC administration has such close links to the brutal regime of president Robert Mugabe that ZC president Peter Chingoka is banned from travelling to Australia, the UK and the European Union.

Next week's annual meeting, which needs to ratify Mr Howard's position, is being held in Singapore instead of the traditional location of Lord's in London so Chingoka can attend.

The unexpected impasse has become yet another embarrassment for cricket.

By Staff reporter and agencies