BULAWAYO (Zimbabwe), Feb 24: Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower, under pressure to abandon his controversial black armband protest against the government of Robert Mugabe, failed to appear when it was his side’s turn to field in their clash against Australia on Monday.

Team sources said that Flower was undergoing treatment for a groin injury although he had earlier appeared untroubled as he smashed 62.

The left-hander and team-mate Henry Olonga, who wasn’t selected for Monday’s Group ‘A’ clash, had come under intense pressure over the weekend to either abandon the protest or face being axed from the squad.

There had been no sign of either the black armband, which was worn in the first match against Namibia, or the black wristband which had replaced it for the game against India, when Flower batted earlier in the day.

However, his batting gloves and arm protection meant it was impossible to judge whether or not he had kept faith with the wristband and the mystery deepened when he failed to take the field for Australia’s reply.—AFP