HARARE, Aug, 16: Cricket authorities have made contingency plans to shift next year’s World Cup matches due to be played in Zimbabwe to South Africa.

Zimbabwe is scheduled to host several games including those featuring England, Australia, India and Pakistan.

Officially the line is that despite the worsening condition in the country, the matches will take place as arranged.

Last week Ali Bacher, director of 2003 World Cup, went to Harare to promote the tournament in that country.

But privately, officials admit the chances of all the World Cup matches assigned for Zimbabwe taking place as planned next February and March are remote - unless there is a dramatic change in the situation.

To protect themselves the International Cricket Council have taken out insurance in the event of problems with the Zimbabwe matches.

Australia cancelled a tour of Zimbabwe recently and both the Australian and the British foreign offices cautioned their citizens against visiting the country.

Cricket officials have sketched out the likely scenario next February when the preliminary matches of the World Cup are due to take place in Zimbabwe.

One insider said: “I suspect Australia and England will not want to play in Zimbabwe and, in that case, we will have to switch the matches to Johannesburg.

“But that should not be a problem. It is little more than an hour’s flying time away. As for India and Pakistan, for political reasons they will want to play in Zimbabwe and those matches may go ahead.”

This will not be the first time that political events have disrupted a World Cup.

In 1996 when the World Cup was held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Australian team refused to travel to Colombo, claiming the civil war in Sri Lanka made that country unsafe.

The West Indies followed their example despite several attempts by the Indians and Pakistanis to change their stance.

The Australian decision led to a major breach in cricket relations between the old Commonwealth of England, Australia and New Zealand and the emerging Asian group led by India.

Sri Lanka never forgave the Australians and took great delight in winning the World Cup by beating them in the final.— PPI