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THE sour relations between Britain and its former southern Africa colony, Zimbabwe was last week further strained when the Tony Blair led government urged the country's national cricket team to boycott playing in Zimbabwe in the World Cup cricket games to be held next month. Zimbabwe and Kenya are hosting some of the matches with South Africa, providing the venues for most of the games. The call for Britain to boycott the matches to be played in Zimbabwe is being viewed by most observers as a ploy by the former colonial power to keep Zimbabwe under the spotlight ahead of a Commonwealth meeting scheduled next month. The BBC quoted the British Foreign Secretary Mr. Jack Straw and international development secretary Ms Clare Short saying that they were opposed to their country's decision to send a cricket team to Zimbabwe. One of the reasons given for barring the team from playing its matches in Zimbabwe during the World Cup was the allegation that the Presidential election held March last year was not free and fair. Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Alexander Downer, cited the same reasons to discourage his country's national team from fulfilling its matches in Zimbabwe. However, the International Cricket Council, (ICC) recently sent a team that spent three days assessing the situation in Zimbabwe and recommended that the atmosphere was conducive for matches to be played. England captain Nasser Hussein said it was ridiculous for his government to make a political decision to boycott playing in Zimbabwe. England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Mr. Tim Lamb, said the decision to bar the England team from playing its matches in Zimbabwe should not be taken heed of because it was political. "Cricket is a soft target and is being treated to the other 300 businesses which continue to trade with Zimbabwe which ministers aren't discouraging," Mr. Lamb told a British publication. Chairman of the England selectors, Mr. David Graveney, told another British newspaper that he would be helping to pick the 15-man squad as planned next week and would not attempt to dissuade players from traveling to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's Minister of State for Information and Publicity Professor Jonathan Moyo described the British government's move as unfortunate and regrettable. "This is obviously not about safety and security, it is just political mumbo-jumbo. This is quite regrettable and unfortunate because this new wave of anti-Zimbabwe hysteria from Britain and Australia is coming at a time when we and others is the southern part of Africa and the UN are working to find ways of harmonizing relations with Britain through diplomacy and constructive engagement," said Prof Moyo. He said if the British and the Australians want to keep cricket as an exclusive domain of whites yet forgetting that the sport was still underdeveloped and not accessible to the black majority. ICC Chief Executive Mr. Malcom Speed said if Britain and Australia decide to boycott playing in Zimbabwe they risk losing match points. England, Australia, Pakistan, Holland, Namibia, India and Zimbabwe are to play a match each in Zimbabwe in the World Cup. Other countries taking part in the World Cup games include India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Holland and Namibia. . Lovemore Mataire
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