Howard calls on ICC to act on Mugabe

Howard calls on ICC to act on Mugabe : "Prime Minister John Howard has vowed to take whatever legitimate action he can to stop Australia's cricket team touring Zimbabwe."

I actually am with the Prime Minister on this one. I blogged before about the situation in Zimbabwe and our cricketers. We were getting a lot of news from Zimbabwe and it was sounding really very serious over there. Our cricket team has been very conscientious about keeping sport and politics separate. Our Prime Minister is a complete cricket fan as we all know. If nothing else , he is very passionate about, and dedicated to, this sport of ours! We have the footage to prove it. I have the same feeling that this time it isn't as easy as bringing the cricket match to those in Zimbabwe who are as enthusiastic about cricket as we are. Australian cricketers are neither foolhardy nor stupid. I know they are quite clear that the game is more important and that followers of the game need to be rewarded and considered. The difficulty I have is that the situation in Zimbabwe seems to be very volatile and the safety of the team and the spectators is the thing which is really bothering me. I hate this sort of stuff where political instability then determines the daily menu for a country. Any country ought to be safe enough that its inhabitants can participate in normal life. Political wrangles should not put people at risk in their daily living not should it stop sports events from occurring. It's a bit rich if we would not be safe there that we would have to pay because we do not go. It ought to be obvious that you have to have safe and reasonable conditions for international events. It ought to be obligatory. I cannot believe it is not. The sporting bodies need to resolve this one so that politicians can get on with politics and sports people can continue to dazzle us with their talent. Safety is crucial, surely. How can it be a forfeit if the venue is too risky? I hope this can be resolved in a logical fashion and that everyone's concerns can be put to rest. Our cricketers will hate becoming subject to a political decision. They'll just hate it...but I am really concerned for their safety. I think we have to look at the safety issues. Using the team as political leverage is not on.