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| January 18, 2003 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 14, 1423 |
Kenya ties could still be moved, says Bacher
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 17: The two World Cup matches scheduled to be played in Kenya next month could still be moved out of the country due to safety concerns, tournament director Ali Bacher said on Friday.
“We’re not contemplating any of the matches being moved but, in the event of a worst-case scenario, we have the structures and the capacity to accommodate any changes if ruled by the International Cricket Council (ICC),” Bacher told Reuters.
Kenya has been struggling to allay security fears ahead of the tournament, which is mainly being hosted by South Africa, following a suicide bombing in November when 16 people were killed at an Israeli-owned hotel on the Kenyan coast.
An ICC delegation visited the country on January 12 and 13 to assess safety and security but is yet to report its findings.
Kenya’s government is due to issue a formal statement later this week reassuring cricket officials and test nations that the African country can guarantee security for the matches against New Zealand and Sri Lanka on Feb 21 and 24.
Sri Lanka have confirmed they will play their match in Nairobi but New Zealand have raised concerns over security issues.
An ICC delegation also visited Zimbabwe, due to host six World Cup matches, in November and decided the southern African country was safe enough to host its World Cup matches.
England, Australia, India, Pakistan, the Netherlands and Namibia are scheduled to play one match each in Zimbabwe.
The British and Australian governments have urged their teams not to travel to the troubled country, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) reiterated on Tuesday that the England team would honour its fixture in Zimbabwe.
Bacher said he would visit Zimbabwe in the next 10 days to gauge what effect the country’s shortage of basic commodities could have on the tournament, and to “get a feel of the situation in Zimbabwe”.
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has received widespread criticism for his controversial land reform programme, a policy opponents blame for the country’s deepening economic crisis and food shortages.
NAIROBI: Kenya has met International Cricket Council (ICC) security requirements for hosting two World Cup matches next month, Kenyan National Sports Council (KNSC) chairman Joshua Okuthe said on Friday.
Okuthe told reporters a document giving an undertaking to provide standard security for the competition would be signed by government officials later on Friday.
“The government is fully committed to providing the standard security requirement by the ICC. The document detailing all this will be signed today and sent by courier to South Africa and ICC headquarters in London to reach them by latest on Monday,” Okuthe said.
“The issues raised by ICC have all been looked at and resolved and the private security provider will work closely with the Kenya police to ensure all goes on well.”
He described the signatories as cabinet-level officials but did not identify them.
The World Cup, starting on Feb 9, will be staged mainly in South Africa plus Zimbabwe and Kenya. New Zealand are scheduled to play in Nairobi on Feb 21 and Sri Lanka three days later.
New Zealand raised security concerns after last November’s suicide bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa which killed 17 people and a near-miss missile attack on an Israeli jet liner about the same time.
An ICC delegation on safety and security conducted a two-day inspection tour of Kenya on Jan 12 and 13, which triggered speculation that the world governing body might move the two matches from Nairobi to South Africa.
Campbell Jamieson, the ICC commercial manager and leader of the delegation, told a news conference after the inspection that it would make a detailed report to the ICC which would then make a decision on whether Kenya would host the matches.—Reuters
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