News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Rediff.com  » News » Zimbabwe faces dismal future without World Cup - Goodwin

Zimbabwe faces dismal future without World Cup - Goodwin

January 12, 2003 20:07 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Former Zimbabwe batsman Murray Goodwin hopes World Cup matches will go ahead as planned in his country next month, but he believes the game is suffering there because of its poor administration.

The 30-year-old Goodwin, who last August turned down an offer to play for the country of his birth in the World Cup, has described the game in Zimbabwe as "unprofessional" and fears for its future if the matches are moved elsewhere.

"I think they must play there (in Zimbabwe), otherwise cricket will be pretty much a non-event in years to come," he told The Sunday Age newspaper.

"It's an absolute dog show -- what's happening there -- and it's not good for the cricket.

"But I also think it (a World Cup boycott) would be good in the sense that it would send a message to the (Zimbabwe) government to jack their ideas up about the country.

"That's the catch-22 situation but I think, as far as cricket development goes in the country and the financial situation, they must play there."

Both the British and Australian governments have raised concerns about playing World Cup matches in Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe's regime has attracted widespread criticism for its land reform programme.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is scheduled to meet in London on Tuesday to decide whether the England team should play their match against Zimbabwe in Harare on February 13.

Six of the 54 games in the February 9 to March 23 tournament, which is being staged mainly in South Africa, are scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe. Kenya is hosting two.

'TOO POLITICAL'

Goodwin, who played 19 tests and 71 one-day internationals before returning to Western Australia for the 2000-01 domestic season, believes the administration of cricket in Zimbabwe has become too political.

"I do have regrets at the way players are treated over there," he said.

"A little bit has changed now, but it had to take a few of us to retire and leave the team in a bit of bother, I suppose.

"It (the game) is struggling and a lot to do with that is the way it's run. It's very political.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.