The Australian government says it would be surprised if Zimbabwe accepted an offer to play Australia at a neutral venue after the ”humiliation” of being boycotted.
The Australian government ordered the national team to cancel their scheduled three-match tour of Zimbabwe in September to protest against President Robert Mugabe’s regime.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said the world champions would be willing to play Zimbabwe at a neutral venue, but Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters that was unlikely to happen.
”It seems to me highly unlikely that the Zimbabwe Cricket Union would want to play the game in another country,” Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio on Monday.
”For them, I suspect, and at least for the Zimbabwean government, it would be seen to be humiliating to acknowledge that they’re not able to play against the top cricket team within their own country.
”My guess is that this won’t come about.”
Australia Prime Minister John Howard said the government had taken the initiative to ban the players from touring because it was unfair to leave the decision to sportsmen.
”I’m sorry it has come to this. It really does pain me as a cricket lover. But this is a terrible regime,” Howard said.
”This is a weapon available to the government. It is a device, it is a method of sending a very strong signal of disapproval.”
A number of senior Australian players said they were relieved the government had taken the decision out of their hands.
Opening batsman Matthew Hayden said he had been thinking about a private boycott if the tour had gone ahead.
”I was seriously considering my position this time, as to whether I would go if the tour went ahead,” Hayden told the Australian newspaper.
Gilchrist relieved
Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said he was also relieved the government had made the decision but he would be willing to play Zimbabwe on neutral soil.
”If we can play them elsewhere — if our government and administrators allow us to do that — then I’m very supportive of the idea,” Gilchrist told the same newspaper.
”Their cricketers should not be affected by their regime.”
Zimbabwe’s Junior Information Minister, Bright Matonga, reportedly described the Australian government ban as a racist ploy designed to keep Zimbabwe out of international sport but Howard immediately dismissed the comments as ridiculous.
”There’s not an Australian who would see this decision as being racist,” he said. ”I mean, heavens above, that is just absurd.”
Australia’s stance was supported by the New Zealand government, which refused to issue visas to the Zimbabwean team due to tour New Zealand in 2005.
The New Zealand government had wanted the players to boycott a reciprocal tour of Zimbabwe but the trip went ahead amid fears New Zealand Cricket would have been liable for a $2-million fine for failing to meet their commitments to the Future Tours programme.
Cricket Australia were not asked to pay a fine because the government had ordered the boycott and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Radio New Zealand that the latest developments may convince other countries to take a different approach in future.
”I’ve no doubt we’ve got to reconsider this new element and that I think will also will force the ICC [International Cricket Council] to make a decision as well,” Peters said. – Reuters