October 18 Friday 2002
Australia confident of playing in Zimbabwe

SYDNEY: Despite boycotting their tour to Zimbabwe earlier this year because of security concerns, the Australian Cricket Board believe their cricket team will play in the country at next year's World Cup. 

ACB Chairman Bob Merriman said the current view was that Australia would agree to meet Zimbabwe for a fixture in Bulawayo on February 24. "We're due to play a one-day game in Bulawayo, and certainly as far as the ACB directors are concerned, and certainly senior management, we're hoping we can meet that obligation."

"On all the information we have at the moment, and we can only go on what we've been told at the moment, it's looking good," he said. South Africa and Zimbabwe are the joint hosts of the World Cup. Australia this week imposed sanctions on the Zimbabwe government of President Robert Mugabe, who Canberra say, won re-election through 
fraud and intimidation.

Australia have led international calls for broader sanctions against Mugabe's regime, also strongly criticised for their policy of forcibly transferring land from white farmers to landless blacks.