Australians get more security advice

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Jan 31 AAP - Australian cricket authorities are receiving independent advice on security in Zimbabwe as debate continues over whether the defending champions will play a World Cup match in Bulawayo.

Unless the situation deteriorates, officials believe the welter of security in Zimbabwe could theoretically make the strife-torn nation safer for players than traditional trouble hot spots in South Africa like Johannesburg.

With Australia's players content to let the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) make safety the only consideration rather than moral or political grandstanding, the February 23 fixture remains likely to go ahead but the matter will continue to be monitored.

New Zealand today elected to boycott its match against Kenya because member nations of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ignored independent information gained by the Kiwis about terrorist activity in Nairobi.

"What New Zealand does is its business," said ACB public affairs manager Pete Young.

"It's probably safer for the (Australian) team to train in Zimbabwe than Johannesburg with all the extra security in Zimbabwe."

Young said Australia was satisfied with the ICC security reports on Zimbabwe because it correlated with its own.

"We've actually had our own assessments done... it just provides an audit for what we know. We've got ICC security assigned with the team and we're using the Australia high consulate in Harare and the department of foreign affairs (for advice).

"We have a duty of care to our players and management and that means we have to get our own advice.

"New Zealand is a different country to us and was playing in a different part of the world."

Young declined to elaborate on Australia's security plans.

"The more detail you give, the less secure you are," he said.

Tear gas was used in Harare yesterday to break up a meeting called by the opposition mayor and civic groups warned of nationwide protests against president Robert Mugabe.

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) - a coalition of church and student groups, rights organisations and political parties - said it planned nationwide pro-democracy protests during the World Cup.

The Kiwis' withdrawal came after they received intelligence reports of terrorist activity in Kenya following a car bomb which killed 28 people in Mombasa last year.

NZ Cricket described the ICC's unwillingness to switch the match as unreasonable.

"The information received by the ICC Security Delegation to Kenya made it clear that there is a tangible terrorist threat in Nairobi and the board has seen nothing which changes that," NZ Cricket said in a statement.

The only other World Cup boycotts have been in 1996, when Australia and West Indies both forfeited matches in Sri Lanka because of safety fears.