Zimbabwe tour in no danger of abandonment

The Zimbabwe cricket tour of England is in no danger of being abandoned, as has been suggested in some English newspapers, and never has been, insists the tour manager Dan Stannard.

Mr Stannard was very critical of his team's unprofessional performance against Kent last week, and said the players were much more motivated for the one-day match against Sussex, which they won by eight wickets. Several of the team, including captain Andy Flower who withdrew from the side that played Kent, were not completely well for that match, having picked up colds and sniffles, but he refused to put this forward as an excuse.

Zimbabwe Cricket Union president Peter Chingoka and chief executive Dave Ellman-Brown are currently in England, having just attended the emergency ICC meeting, and they paid a courtesy call on the team on the morning of the Sussex match. Mr Stannard said that the administrators and players had had a successful and encouraging chat which enabled them to sort out a few domestic matters. The Zimbabwe players were much encouraged by the news that the situation back home appears to have stabilised and is comparatively quiet at present.

As a result of the resolution of these in-house issues, Mr Stannard said, the players are now more focused on the cricket, and their first victory of the tour today, by a good margin, should help to boost their morale. Suggestions that the tour itself had been in danger due to the political situation in Zimbabwe were completely unfounded and there had never been any questions of the team abandoning the tour and returning home.