March 30, 2003	Sunday	Muharram 26, 1424

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HARARE, March 29: Zimbabwe team will go ahead with their tour of England this year despite the boycott by Nasser Hussain’s team of their World Cup fixture in Harare last month, a senior cricket official here said on Saturday.

England refused to play Zimbabwe in their Group ‘A’ match on Feb 13, citing concerns over security following President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reforms.

On Saturday, Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) chairman Peter Chingoka said a meeting of the board had agreed to fulfil tour commitments from May to July regardless of the World Cup boycott.

“The ZCU board decision to proceed with the tour of England was informed first and foremost by the fact that the union is apolitical. We continue to make our decisions purely and solely on the basis of the game,” Chingoka told journalists.

He said England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan told the meeting that “England did not come to Zimbabwe because of safety and security concerns only and there was no political agenda”.

The result cost England all four points from the fixture and went a long way to eliminating them from their opening group.

Morgan added that a planned England tour of Zimbabwe scheduled for next year would go ahead, Chingoka said.

Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change had opposed the staging of the World Cup matches, arguing they gave legitimacy to Mugabe’s rule.

Mugabe is a patron of the ZCU. Its decision is expected to be ratified by the government-controlled Zimbabwe Sports Commission next week.

Meanwhile, ECB is to pay ZCU an undisclosed sum of money in compensation for the World Cup boycott.

Morgan told Chingoka that the compensation was purely a goodwill gesture and it did not imply liability by the ECB.

The money will help cover hotel expenses, catering wastage, security, ticket sales and administrative costs, which still had to be met after England failed to show up. But the ECB may yet face a detailed claim by the ZCU.

Chingoka took the opportunity, though, of repeating to him the ZCU assertion that Harare was, and remains, a safe place to play cricket.

The ECB “goodwill” offer was clearly the beginning of a healing process between the two cricket nations ahead of a 10 week tour to England and Ireland by Zimbabwe expected to begin at the end of April.

However, approval for this tour now rests with the Zimbabwe government’s Sports and Recreation Commission, which should make its decision in the next few days.

There has been speculation in Harare that Mugabe might veto the tour to England in retaliation for the World Cup boycott.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play several England counties before two Tests, at Lord’s and Chester-le-Street. This will be followed by 10 days in Ireland and then a triangular one-day series involving England, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Zimbabwe are having to rebuild their national team following the losses of senior players Andy Flower (to Essex and then South Australia), Henry Olonga (seeking political asylum in England), Guy Whittall (retired) and Alastair Campbell (out of favour with selectors and heading off on a radio commentating career).

Flower and Olonga stunned the cricket world at the beginning of the World Cup by wearing black armbands in protest at what they referred to in a joint statemnent as “the death of democracy” in Zimbabwe.

But Chingoka believes Zimbabwe can successfully rebuild for the next World Cup. “We have entered a new era” he said.

Zimbabwe are replacing South Africa and Kenya have been invited to the Sharjah international tournament which begins next week. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the teams competing.

Pakistan and Zimbabwe held talks in Bulawayo following their rained-off Group ‘A’ match on March 4 about the possibility of a Zimbabwe tour to Pakistan. But this was put off “due to time constrants” said Chingoka.—Reuters/AFP