Australia withdraws from Zimbabwe tour
Australia has withdrawn from its scheduled tour of Zimbabwe.
Lynn McConnell
27-Mar-2002
Australia has withdrawn from its scheduled tour of Zimbabwe.
Citing safety and security concerns for the team and its management, the
Australian Cricket Board (ACB) had little choice but to accept the advice of
a number of government and non-government sources who had identified an
increasing risk for the Australian side.
The postponement of the tour is the latest in an increasing number of
political factors on the international cricket scene.
Last year New Zealand postponed their October tour of Pakistan after the
September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the New Zealand
women had their tour of India cancelled due to the inability of India to
provide security for the side while the Afghanistan conflict was taking
place.
The last occasion an Australian side was unable to tour a country was during
the 1996 World Cup when the team was unable to play scheduled games in Sri
Lanka when player safety there could not be guaranteed.
Australia's position in Zimbabwe was the result of increasing unrest there
after the recent election and the subsequent suspension of Zimbabwe from the
Commonwealth.
The chairman of the ACB, Bob Merriman said: "Given this situation, the ACB
has now advised the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) that the Australian cricket
team is unable to travel to Zimbabwe in the current climate but that we are
very keen to re-schedule the games in the next two years.
"This is a decision that the ACB has deliberated on deeply and it is
recognised that it will impact most on the cricket community within
Zimbabwe. This is something that is deeply regretted.
"Nevertheless, the safety of the players and team management must take
precedence and I hope that there are other initiatives that the ACB and the
ZCU can adopt that will provide much needed support to the game in
Zimbabwe."
"Over the last week, the advice we have received from our own security
advisors, the High Commissioner in Zimbabwe, the Department of Foreign
Affairs and from other sources within the country has clearly indicated that
the situation is worsening for Australians in particular and that there are
now real and unacceptable risks to our people should they travel to
Zimbabwe."