Nelson Mandela was last night identified as the inspiration for a courageous stand by South Africa which helped to free England's players from the spectre of the Zimbabwe issue.

When Peter Chingoka, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, confirmed that his country had withdrawn from next summer's Twenty20 World Championship in England, it averted the threat of a devastating split in the international game.

In the past: England one-day skipper Paul Collingwood plays a shot as Zimbabwe keeper Brendan Taylor looks on during the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa

With the British government adamant that players from the African nation would not be granted visas, Chingoka was forced to abandon his defiant position under pressure from Zimbabwe's Indian 'friends'.

The fact that the Indian delegation were convinced to adopt the role of mediators was down to the ECB holding their nerve when talks were on a knife edge. But they in turn owed much to the strident support of Norman Arendse.

The Cricket South Africa president was hailed as 'outstanding' by his English counterparts, who recognised the need for an African voice to chip away at Zimbabwe's stubborn position.

But the African voice which seemingly galvanised Arendse and others was Mandela's. Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, claimed that when the former president of South Africa spoke out against Robert Mugabe's regime last week, it struck a chord.

'Nelson Mandela has enormous international standing,' he said. 'His statement was quoted during the board meeting by the chairman of Cricket South Africa and had a substantial impact on opinions.

'Nelson Mandela has a huge significance throughout Africa and also throughout the sub-continent. He is, as Norman Arendse said, a "modern-day saint". His pronouncements carry weight. When he made his comment in London, I was sure it would have an impact.'

Informal talks on the Zimbabwe question went on throughout Thursday night. Once India had been coaxed into accepting that sport and politics are sometimes, as in this case, 'inextricably linked', Chingoka was finally convinced to pull out of the Twenty20 showpiece.

England and South Africa both hoped to see Zimbabwe banished from the world game, but that was not an option within the constraints of the ICC constitution.

However, the country's status will be urgently reviewed in terms of cricketing strength, administration and infrastructure.

Future suspension remains a possibility. Arendse called yesterday's development a 'step forward', but added: 'The Zimbabwe issue remains on the table.'

The Government were quick to congratulate the ECB, but there was evident disappointment that Zimbabwe had not been banished. Andy Burnham, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: 'I would have preferred the ICC to take a stronger stance.'