The one they feared

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) delivered the news their counterparts in Zimbabwe had feared would come, when they called of the up-coming tour.

The Australian Cricket Board felt they the situation in Zimbabwe, especially since the recent elections, made it impossible to guarantee the safety and security of the Australian cricket team. The ACB Chairman Bob Merriman (who had taken soundings from a number of sources) said, "The security of our people is our first priority and it is now clear that ravelling to Zimbabwe would compromise their safety."

"Given this situation, the ACB has now advised the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) that the Australian cricket team is unable to travel to Zimbabwe in the current climate but that we are very keen to re-schedule the games in the next two years."

"This is a decision that the ACB has deliberated on deeply and it is recognised that it will impact most of the cricket community within Zimbabwe. This is something which is deeply regretted."

"Nevertheless, the safety of the players and team management must take precedence and I hope that there are other initiatives that the ACB and the ZCU can adopt that will provide much needed support to the game in Zimbabwe."

"Our consistent position has been that the situation in Zimbabwe was under daily review to assess the risks for our people."

The International Cricket Committee (ICC) recognised the position of the ACB had been placed under, but also the wider implications for Test cricket given the recent cancellations of Test series. The ICC President Malcolm Gray said, "The ICC is saddened by events in Zimbabwe which have caused this tour to be abandoned. The game has already lost recent series in Pakistan and this latest disruption is regrettable from a cricket respective. Having said that, the safety and security of teams, officials and spectators must always remain the priority in judging whether a series or match should go ahead."

I guess the old saying that politics should not interfere has finally been put out to grass…

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