"I've resigned from Zimbabwe cricket as a whole," Taibu said from Harare on Thursday.

"I've had problems with the way Zimbabwe cricket is being run for the past few years," said the 22-year-old, the youngest captain in Test cricket history when he took over in May 2004.

"That's probably 80 per cent of the reason for my decision, the other 20 per cent is the way the contracts have been dealt with," he said.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) offered contracts in August that were heavily based on incentives and incorporated much smaller basic salaries than the players had been paid in the past.

Taibu, who played 24 Tests for Zimbabwe and captained them in 10, said he hoped to continue his playing career in England.

Ozias Bvute, ZC's managing director said from Harare that the organisation would issue a statement on Taibu's decision.