Olonga renews call for boycott of Zimbabwe

Henry Olonga has repeated his call for international teams to boycott Zimbabwe on moral grounds.

His comments were a reaction to news that the England & Wales Cricket Board had delayed making any decision on its planned tour next year. "What is important is not just cricket but the continuing repression of the people in Zimbabwe," Olonga told the BBC. "The country will lose as a whole if opportunities like this are not taken to try and highlight the plight of the people of Zimbabwe.

"It would be pertinent for all countries that have a cricketing relationship with Zimbabwe to acknowledge the situation in Zimbabwe now. But I don't think we're going to get a strong stance from any other country than England."

Olonga admitted that were England to withdraw then the already precarious finances of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union would suffer, but he said that with other countries prepared to visit, it would survive.

"It will have a financial impact on Zimbabwe cricket, but Zimbabwe is more than just a cricket team. It's more than just television rights," he explained. "It's about five million people potentially facing starvation and that cause to me is more important than any cricket tour."