Players can decide whether to tour Zimbabwe

Ricky Ponting has breakfast with John Howard, the Australia prime minister © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting says Australia's players will be able to make up their own minds on whether to tour Zimbabwe in September and the Australian government will pay any fine incurred if the tour is called off. Cricket Australia will investigate the security issues before the trip for three one-day games, but the only way it can avoid a $2m ICC punishment for not going is if it is not safe.

The prime minister John Howard, a strong critic of the regime of the Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, said it would be unfair for Cricket Australia to have to pay the fine. "I will be having, and Alexander Downer [the foreign minister] will be having, further discussions with Cricket Australia because the situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated very badly," Howard told Australian radio. "In the end, foreign policy decisions have got to be taken by governments and the situation in Zimbabwe is quite unacceptable.

"We would indemnify Cricket Australia for any compensation it might have to pay to the international body. It would not be fair to visit the cost of a foreign policy decision on a sporting body."

Howard said players should be consulted on the issue, but the government would make the final decision on whether the tour should proceed. Ponting had breakfast with Howard at the SCG on Thursday as part of the World Cup-winning squad's welcome home celebrations.

"There are some issues there and every individual player will be asked what their own views on that are, and they'll have a chance to make up their own mind what they want to do," Ponting told The Australian. "I'm sure every individual player will be asking themselves 'should I or shouldn't I be touring Zimbabwe?'"

Adam Gilchrist also said in the paper "there should always be questions asked". Stuart MacGill pulled out of the tour in 2004 on moral grounds.

Pius Ncube, the Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, who is currently in Australia, called for the series to be cancelled. "My encouragement would be let's boycott and not go there," he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "In this way we can embarrass and put pressure on this immoral government of Mugabe and his cronies."