LONDON, March 8: International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani said on Monday he believed the vexed issue of England's tour of Zimbabwe this year should not affect the Champions Trophy one-day tournament.
According to media reports, some countries are to request that the tournament be shifted from England because of the host nation's seeming reluctance to tour Zimbabwe. The possibility of England cancelling the tour will be discussed at an ICC meeting in Auckland this week.
In a statement on Monday Mani said the September tournament should remain in England and not be affected by the Zimbabwe tour issue. "Clearly there are potentially very serious issues that need to be resolved relating to England's scheduled tour of Zimbabwe," he said.
"I believe that... there are mechanisms in place for these bi-lateral concerns to be effectively dealt with. "However, it is important that these genuine issues between two ICC members do not spill over and impact on broader issues that could affect all countries such as the venue for the ICC Champions Trophy 2004. "Ultimately this decision is in the hands of the Executive Board and I will be guided by the views of the directors but I will put forward my view that we should be seeking to clearly separate these matters so that we avoid confusing bi-lateral issues with multi-lateral concerns."
The two-week tournament in September consists of the 10 Test-playing teams, as well as Kenya and the United States. England refused to play Zimbabwe in Harare during the World Cup last year, citing security concerns. The England players under then captain Nasser Hussain also suggested they had moral concerns.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is holding discussions over whether to boycott a tour to Zimbabwe. The board says it may consider moral issues in making its decision, which has been delayed until after meeting the ICC this week.
Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 after President Robert Mugabe was accused of rigging his re-election and harassing political opponents. The Champions Trophy is being hosted at Edgbaston, The Oval and at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground in Southampton. The final is scheduled for Sept 25 at The Oval. -Reuters
