|
  |
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
England to appeal cricket ruling
CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- The English cricket team will make one last appeal to have its World Cup cricket match moved away from strife-torn Zimbabwe after tournament organisers rejected an official request for a change of venue. The tournament's technical committee, meeting on Thursday just two days before the World Cup launch, refused to move the February 13 game from Harare despite England's concerns over political and social unrest in the country. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will now appeal the decision to an independent judge on Friday, Associated Press reports. The International Cricket Council said that judge Albie Sachs, a member of the South African constitutional court, would hear the case. Sachs has the power to amend or otherwise substitute his own decision for that of the technical committee if he thinks appropriate to do so, the ICC said. However, his decision is final and binding. "We are disappointed with the decision and now the only thing left for us to do is appeal," ECB chief Tim Lamb said. "We have full confidence in our arguments and we look forward to putting those arguments to the judicial commission." If England loses the appeal, the players may decide to boycott the game. By doing that they will forfeit the match and possibly face demands for millions of dollars in compensation. The loss of match points will also be a blow to England's chances of reaching the second round.
The Zimbabwe issue has simmered since December, when British government ministers urged the England team to boycott the Harare match. Britain accuses Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe of rigging his re-election last year and compounding a food crisis by seizing white-owned farms. Similar boycott calls have been made in Australia by Prime Minister John Howard, and in New Zealand. The Australian team said on Tuesday they were still committed to playing their Group A game in Bulawayo on February 24. New Zealand, meanwhile, have yet to put in an official request for a venue switch -- they are due in Nairobi on February 21 -- but have already warned they could appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. On Tuesday an ECB statement said that it would "be making a submission to the ICC World Cup technical committee to request that England's match in Harare on February 13th be moved to South Africa for safety and security reasons." It added skipper Nasser Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher backed the decision. The stakes were raised on Wednesday when the ZCU announced it would refuse to play if the England game was moved to South Africa. Britain and Australia's leaders have led a campaign for sanctions against Mugabe in a row that has split the Commonwealth on roughly racial lines. South Africa advocates a less confrontational approach to its northern neighbour, and fellow Commonwealth members India and Pakistan -- whose teams are also in Group A -- say they are happy to play in Zimbabwe. Sri Lanka, in New Zealand's group, have also said they have no problems playing in Kenya's second fixture. South Africa are scheduled to stage 46 of the World Cup's 54 games, with six in Zimbabwe. Australia forfeited a 1996 World Cup match in Colombo on government advice after a bombing in the Sri Lankan capital caused around 80 deaths. They also withdrew from a two-test tour of Zimbabwe in March last year after the Australian government warned its citizens not to travel there. Australian and Britain have led calls for Commonwealth sanctions against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, accusing him of rigging his re-election in 2002 and compounding Africa's food crisis by seizing white-owned farms to give to blacks. With half of Zimbabwe's 12.5 million people facing food shortages and the main opposition leader facing a possible death sentence if convicted of trying to kill Mugabe, some critics say playing cricket there would imply approval of Mugabe's rule. The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
