da pinup bet： Australia’s cricketers are likely to clear out of Zimbabwe rather than hang around for an unofficial, meaningless series if the two matches between the countries, scheduled to begin on Saturday, have their Test status revoked
da doce： Wisden Cricinfo staff19-May-2004
James Sutherland may have no option but to call his team back to Australia© Getty Images
Australia’s cricketers are likely to clear out of Zimbabwe rather than hangaround for an unofficial, meaningless series if the two matches between thecountries, scheduled to begin on Saturday, have their Test status revoked.”The Australian cricket team has gone to Zimbabwe to play Test and one-daycricket,” said Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland. “If we’re not going to play that, then I’m not sure whether it is appropriate for us to be there.”The ICC will decide on the status of the proposed matches during a telephonehook-up between its ten executive board directors on Friday.Australia’s most powerful politicians today made plain their feelings onwhat should happen. The treasurer, Peter Costello, commended Stuart MacGillfor making himself unavailable and said that, if he was a cricketer, hewouldn’t be playing in Zimbabwe.”People are going to say they’re under contract to Cricket Australia andthey have to fulfil their contracts,” said Costello. “I understand thatargument but I would suggest Cricket Australia think very seriously aboutthis tour.”John Howard, the prime minister, perhaps mindful of the antagonism sparked byhis random theories on Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action, was morecautious. Asked on ABC Radio if the Australians should come home, Howardsaid: “That’s a matter for Cricket Australia, I don’t want to tell CricketAustralia what to do.”But I do want to express the view that I think most Australians hold, andthat is there should not be any selection of teams on a racial basis. Afterall, that was the basis of the original 20-year ban on South Africa, wasn’tit?”The matches will lose their Test status if seven of the ten ICC directors,representing each Test-playing country, support such a motion. GregChappell, the former Australian captain, views it as an obvious solution.”I think the whole situation is very sad and obviously it needs to be sortedout,” Chappell said. “I don’t think it is a satisfactory situation when youhave a team being put on the field that is clearly not their best team. Wecan’t afford to have the standard of Test cricket denigrated from within. Ithink that’s something that has really got to be fiercely protected by thegame of cricket.”
