Zimbabwe 'here to play cricket' says ZCU chairman

Peter Chingoka, the chairman of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, said at Lord's today that the Zimbabwean players, who arrived for their two-Test tour of England this morning, should be allowed to get on with playing cricket.

He acknowledged that there were some people in Britain who were against the tour and were trying to get it stopped, which he described as "disappointing". He said the tour was a legitimate part of the ICC's official Test programme, and added: "We understand and respect the right of individuals to make their views known on any subject, through peaceful protest. But we also ask those people to respect our rights as sportsmen to go about our business of playing cricket."

The full statement read: "I wanted to take this early opportunity to speak on behalf of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union about this tour to the UK. You will all be aware that there are a number of issues relating to the tour that fall outside of the cricketing arena. It is important that our views on these matters are expressed clearly at this point.

"Firstly, let me say that the Zimbabwe team and management are delighted to be in England. From a cricketing perspective, this is a very challenging and important tour for us and we intend to enjoy the opportunity and learn from the experience. Our captain Heath Streak and coach Geoff Marsh will talk specifically about the cricketing challenge in a few moments, after my introductory remarks.

"The Zimbabwe tour to England is part of the International Cricket Council's official programme of international cricket. We are here to play Test cricket against England and one-day cricket against England and South Africa.

"This tour is a very significant one for cricket in my country. There has been much talk of the money involved, but for us it is more than simply how much we can earn. Cricket in Zimbabwe is a truly integrated and multi racial sport. It is a sport that offers opportunity to Zimbabweans from all backgrounds and we invest heavily in offering coaching, scholarships and academy placements to the most talented. To do this the ZCU employs more than 80 full time coaches, a high number in a country as relatively small as ours. This is why earning money from the World Cup and Sharjah and the tours we host is so important to fund our development objectives, and bring sport and recreation within reach of our young people.

"The ZCU is an apolitical organisation, with staff drawn from a diverse cultural and ethnic base. We are not involved in politics. Our job is to develop and sustain cricket in a country facing economic hardship. It is a duty that we take very seriously indeed and part of the success of our policies can be measured by the number of young and talented cricketers that you will see play in the coming weeks.

"There are no sporting sanctions in place that restrict Zimbabwean athletes and teams from competing freely around the world. Indeed, sportsmen and women from Zimbabwe took part in last year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Our golfers, tennis players, athletics, soccer, hockey, basketball and rugby teams are regular participants in major international events throughout the world.

"In short, this is a legitimate tour, which has the full support of the cricketing community. Unfortunately, there is a campaign being mounted in this country to stop the tour proceeding. It is very disappointing that cricket is being singled out in this fashion, when no other sport is subject to such action and when trade and commerce between the UK and Zimbabwe continues to flourish. It is a fact that more than 300 British companies do business in our country, and that Zimbabwean goods and services are sold freely in the UK.

"My message to any group or individual that may seek to use this tour as a focus for political protest is simple. We have a legitimate sporting right to play cricket in the UK. We understand and respect the right of individuals to make their views known on any subject, through peaceful protest. But we also ask those people to respect our rights as sportsmen to go about our business of playing cricket. We are confident that this tour will proceed as scheduled and that cricket lovers in the UK will support it.

"It is also worth touching on the relationship between the ZCU and the ECB in the wake of the much-publicised World Cup fixture in Harare. The ZCU, along with all cricket fans in Zimbabwe, was disappointed that England did not feel able to play that match. I think everybody's views on the matter were expressed and reported at length at the time and I do not intend to cover that ground again.

"What I do want to say is that as far as the ZCU and this touring party is concerned, that matter is now history. We have moved on from the World Cup and our decision to tour the UK is proof that there is no lasting ill feeling between the Boards. The efforts of our management team and players will be firmly fixed on preparing for the two Test matches and the Nat West series.

"As I have already said, the ZCU is an apolitical body and I am here as a cricket administrator, not a politician. In that capacity, the message I want to pass onto you on behalf of the ZCU and the touring party is this: We are all proud to be Zimbabweans. We love our country. We are privileged to be representing our country on this tour. We are in the UK as cricketers and cricket administrators and our comments on this tour will be confined to sporting areas, where we have a relevant contribution to make."