June 19, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 03, 1428

BRIDGETOWN (Barbados), June 18: West Indies’ planned A tour to Zimbabwe should be cancelled because of player safety concerns, the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) said.

The West Indies ‘A’ team is due to embark on a three-week tour in July, but the WIPA said players, some of them teenagers, were not willing to make the trip.

WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine said he had informed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) that it could not agree to the tour because of concerns over players’ safety.

“While we at WIPA acknowledge the importance of the development of cricket we are, nevertheless, firmly of the view that the safety of players in an unsettled environment is of paramount importance,” Ramnarine said.

The WIPA president also said on Saturday a proposed Test tour by the senior team slated for October could also be in doubt if the climate in Zimbabwe remains as it is.

Last month Australia ordered its cricket team to cancel a tour of Zimbabwe planned for later this year in protest over President Robert Mugabe’s regime.

“WIPA is sensitive to the obvious disappointment players selected, especially those who may have been chosen for the first time, would feel at the cancellation of the tour,” Ramnarine said. “However, we want to assure the board that we will give every consideration to a similar tour in more favourable circumstances.”

Under a memorandum of understanding signed last year, a tour cannot take place unless there is full cooperation between WIPA and the WICB. —Reuters