Ancram calls for cricket tour to Zimbabwe to be scrapped

Senior Tory Michael Ancram has called for the England cricket team's tour of Zimbabwe this summer to be scrapped, as a protest at "human rights abuses" carried out by the Mugabe regime.

The Tories made the call following the publication of a report designed to offer guidelines on ECB overseas tours. The 17-page report by Des Wilson, chairman of the ECB's corporate affairs committee, highlighted the moral questions to be considered when planning tours to certain countries.

The ECB has said that the Wilson paper suggests a "framework for rational decision-making in relation to reviewing overseas cricket tours". The paper has been submitted to ECB's Management Board (MB) members ahead of their next meeting on January 29.

However, the Shadow Foreign Secretary said today that it would be "a disgrace" if the tour were to go ahead as planned.

The decision on touring remains with the ECB, but Mr Ancram criticised Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for his "inadequate response" to the issue.

“If he had any compassion for the people of Zimbabwe, Jack Straw would end the confusion and put a stop to this tour now rather than risk a repeat of the shambles surrounding last year’s World Cup,” said Mr Ancram.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster, also voiced his hope that the ECB would cancel the tour.

"After Robert Mugabe's withdrawal from the Commonwealth, the moral case against the tour is even stronger than it was last year," he said.

"The clear guidelines proposed in this report will hopefully put an end to the damaging indecision we saw in the World Cup last year."

In a tersely worded statement issued today, the ECB described reports that the tour will be cancelled as "premature".

The ECB stated: "If the [Wilson] paper is adopted by the MB as a basis for decision-making, the criteria contained within the paper will be applied to the decision as to whether or not the ECB decides to send the England cricket team to tour Zimbabwe in October this year.

"It should be stressed that this decision is for the MB to take – and no-one else."

(gmcg)