"There must be quality controls to maintain the standard of Test cricket," Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Tim May was quoted as saying in The Australian newspaper on Wednesday.

"This (crisis) makes cricket look stupid."

May was travelling to Dubai on Wednesday to attend an ICC cricket committee meeting on playing conditions, ACA operations manager Paul Marsh told Reuters.

"The fact that Tim is going to be in Dubai at the same time as (ICC operations manager) Dave Richardson, they will obviously discuss the Zimbabwe issue," Marsh said.

Zimbabwe's former captain Heath Streak and 14 other sacked rebel players are planning to sue the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) for "destroying their livelihoods", the players' lawyer said on Tuesday.

The ZCU terminated their contracts on Monday in a dispute that began on April 2 when Streak's tenure as captain ended after he questioned the composition of the selection panel.

ICC POWER

May said he was concerned about the state of Test cricket with top-ranked Australia to face a depleted Zimbabwe side in a two-Test series starting in Harare on May 22.

"They (ICC) have the power to act," May was quoted as saying in Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper.

May added in The Australian: "If this cannot be resolved, the (10-nation Test championship) programme should be thrown out and the top six nations should play against each other.

"Our players will go there with heavy hearts and a degree of reluctance and I can understand that.

"These matches will go down as test matches but they are not Test matches."

Test-playing nations face heavy fines from the ICC if they withdraw from tours for reasons apart from safety and security.

Australia leg spinner Stuart MacGill made himself unavailable for the Zimbabwe tour because of moral reasons.

The Australian newspaper said the visit by Ricky Ponting's side to the African nation "shapes as the most farcical and pointless tour in the country's history".