Instead, the African Union is coming increasingly to resemble its discredited and unlamented predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, a mutual-protection club for dodgy presidents.
"We are in receipt of Kevin's apology, but further discussions need to take place to establish whether it is possible to regain the trust and mutual respect required to ensure all parties are able to focus on playing cricket and to maintain the unity of purpose that has served us so well in recent years, " said ECB managing director Hugh Morris.