Zimbabwe rebels announce charity tour

Zimbabwe's official national side may have been suspended from Test cricket until the end of the year, but there will still be a representative side playing in England this summer. Fourteen of the 15 rebel cricketers who were sacked by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union last month are set to arrive in mid-July for a series of friendly matches against local and international opposition.

The rebels, who were driven out of the Zimbabwe Test team by the rising levels of political interference in selection, have reformed as a team called "The Red Lions". Their week-long tour, beginning on July 14, will include matches against the celebrity pub team, Lashings, as well as a Zimbabwe World XI and an English XI.

The players will also be attending fundraising events during their stay, including a golf day, in aid of two good causes, the Cricketers Trust and the Zimbabwe Pensioners Trust. With the rampant inflation and continuing weakening of the Zimbabwean dollar, pensioners throughout the country have fallen victim to the increasingly oppressive climate of Robert Mugabe's regime.

The team's mission statement is a far cry from the legal wrangling and political machinations that dogged their final months as Test cricketers. The tour, they say, will be conducted in an atmosphere of "fun and frivolity" in a country where the players have gained several friends and fans over their years of touring. In addition, there will be question-and-answer sessions at local schools and cricket clubs to help promote the game.

The team will be captained by Heath Streak, while the Lashings XI is expected to include such big names as Richie Richardson, Mark Waugh and Courtney Walsh. Meanwhile Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, the original rebels from the 2003 World Cup, will be among the prominent names in the Zimbabwe World XI. Additional fixtures are under discussion

The Red Lions Andy Blignaut, Gary Brent, Stuart Carlisle, Charles Coventry, Sean Ervine, Gavin Ewing, Neil Ferreira, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Raymond Price, Barney Rogers, Richard Sims, Heath Streak, Craig Wishart.

Lashings XI Richie Richardson, Mark Waugh, Henry Olonga, Stuart Williams, Chris Harris, Junior Murray, Sherwin Campbell, Franklin Rose, Grant Flower, Vasbert Drakes, Eldine Baptiste, Greg Blewett, Hamish Marshall, Rashid Latif, Courtney Walsh.

Zimbabwe World XI (includes) Andy Flower, Murray Goodwin, Henry Olonga, Paul Strang, Trevor Penney, Doug Marillier, Craig Evans, Gus McKay

Itinerary
Wed July 14 Red Lions v Lashings, Wimbledon CC
Fri July 16 Red Lions v Zim World XI, Wimbledon CC
Mon July 19 Golf day
Wed July 21 Red Lions v English XI, Stowe