Cricket Australia said on Tuesday its suggestion that a banned tour of Zimbabwe could proceed at a neutral venue was scrapped after the host nation’s top cricket official rejected the idea.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland spoke to his Zimbabwean counterpart, Ozias Bvute, about their options following the Australian government’s decision to ban the September tour on political grounds, a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.
”Mr Bvute made it very clear that playing the series at a neutral venue was not a possibility,” the spokesman told Australian Associated Press. ”We can now say definitely that the series will not be happening inside or outside Zimbabwe.”
Howard on Sunday ordered Australian cricketers not to tour the impoverished African nation, saying the presence of the world champions would be used as a propaganda tool to support the rule of ”grubby dictator” Robert Mugabe.
Cricket South Africa denied on Monday that it had offered to host the one-day international (ODI) series between Australia and Zimbabwe.
Responding to reports that South Africa might offer to host the series, CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said CSA had not received an official approach to host the series. ”Zimbabwe are the host nation and they would need to decide what to do,” he said.
Earlier, Majola’s predecessor as head of South African cricket, Dr Ali Bacher, said an Australian boycott would have little effect on Robert Mugabe’s government, although sporting boycotts had proved effective against apartheid South Africa. — Sapa, Sapa-AFP