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| Friday, 23 April 2004 |
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Zimbabwe play down MacGill withdrawal LONDON, Thursday (AFP) Zimbabwe's senior cricket administrator responded with the diplomatic equivalent of a straight bat here Wednesday after hearing that Australia leg-spinner Stuart MacGill had pulled out of next month's tour of the troubled African nation on moral grounds. Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) chairman Peter Chingoka insisted MacGill's decision was not a matter for him or his board. "Team selection is a matter entirely for Cricket Australia (CA) to deal with and we would not comment on individual cases," Chingoka said. He added: "We are pleased the strongest available squad has been named and we look forward to welcoming them next month." Chingoka was in London meeting with English and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials - both have their headquarters at London's Lord's Cricket Ground - to discuss the state of the game in Zimbabwe. Together with fellow ZCU board member Ozias Bvute, Chingoka met with counterparts from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) here Tuesday to discuss England's October tour of Zimbabwe. And on Tuesday and Wednesday the pair had meetings with the ICC. England have been under pressure from the British government to withdraw from the tour in protest at Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's policies. However, under ICC rules, teams can only pull out of tours on safety or security grounds or because of a direct banning order from their national government, neither of which applies in England's case. English cricket bosses, who back in January hinted at a 'moral' withdrawal, have since been stymied by new ICC regulations which could see England banned and face potentially crippling losses of 50 million pounds if they withdraw in protest at Mugabe. The situation has been complicated by a race row within Zimbabwean cricket in which 15 white cricketers, led by former captain Heath Streak, are refusing to play for their country, amidst claims a racist selection policy is in place. MacGill, now playing for English county side Nottinghamshire, was due to hold a news conference following close of play on Wednesday's opening day of their County Championship match against Durham to clarify his stance. However, in a statement released Wednesday, MacGill said: "I have given this a lot of thought over a long period of time and personally do not believe the situation in Zimbabwe is such that I can tour at this stage. "There will be people that question my timing and motives for making such a decision, and I recognise and appreciate their right to disagree. "I don't have ambitions as an activist or political spokesman and I don't want to influence anybody else because this is a personal matter based on my own feelings. "I know plenty of Australian cricketers ... who have thought long and hard about this issue and decided that they will tour Zimbabwe. "I respect their decisions and wish them the best." MacGill's decision was praised by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, while cricket officials said they had accepted MacGill's decision and it would not affect his future career prospects. Australian cricketers have traditionally avoided political boycotts, with MacGill believed to be the first to abstain publicly from a tour on moral grounds. However, CA officials said the month-long tour, due to start on May 13, would proceed unless security became a concern. A CA delegation visited Zimbabwe earlier this month and returned satisfied with security arrangements for the tour. |
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