SYDNEY, 22 April 2004 — Australia leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has refused to take part in next month’s tour of Zimbabwe.
MacGill told Australia’s selectors he was unavailable for the tour starting on May 17 because he “did not believe he could tour Zimbabwe and maintain a clear conscience.”
“I have given this a lot of thought over a long period of time, and personally do not believe the situation in Zimbabwe is such that I can tour at this stage,” he said in a statement.
Australia Prime Minister John Howard, who was chairman of a three-nation committee that suspended Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth in 2002, praised MacGill.
“I always admire somebody who in his own way, for his own reasons forms a conscientious objection on something...I congratulate him for the strength of his character,” Howard said.
Australian Cricket officials said they understood MacGill’s objections and would not force him to tour or banish him from future selection. “He’s uncomfortable with the political regime in that country,” chief executive James Sutherland told a news conference. “He is uncomfortable with issues around the sufferance of the Zimbabwean people.”
Sutherland said a number of other players had privately expressed their reservations about going to Zimbabwe but had agreed the tour should proceed.
“We all understand the difficulty and complexity of the issue, but Cricket Australia, the player group and the ACA (Australian Cricketers Association) have agreed that, on balance, playing Zimbabwe cricketers in Zimbabwe is appropriate for the continued development of cricket as a global sport,” Sutherland said.
Fast bowler Jason Gillespie said he saw nothing wrong with touring.
“I don’t see how Australia going over to Zimbabwe will be seen as endorsing what’s going on...in Zimbabwe,” he said.
