Men With Balls (God, I am getting political)

[QuickDuck]

For a while now, the International cricket community have been umming and ahhhing about whether to play any of the cricket world cup games in Zimbabwe, with England on the verge of boycotting, New Zealand saying they will not be going and Australia sitting on the fence getting splinters in their butts.

Last night (my time) Zimbabwe played Namibia in their opening game of the tournament........

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A huge question mark was hanging over Andy Flower's international career on Monday after he and Zimbabwe team mate Henry Olonga launched a scathing attack on President Robert Mugabe and his government.

Their criticism, made moments before Zimbabwe's opening World Cup game against Namibia, could further disrupt the tournament.

It may also have a fundamental effect on both players' cricketing futures.

Former captain Flower, at 34, is nearing the end of his sporting shelf-life anyway. But it remains to be seen whether the Zimbabwean authorities will tolerate him playing another World Cup game wearing a black armband "mourning the death of democracy" in his beloved Zimbabwe.

Flower and Olonga's protest -- "a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe" -- may come to rank among other memorable political protests by sportsmen.

In the 1968 Mexico Olympics, American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave a black-power salute from the 200 metres medal podium to protest at the treatment of blacks in the United States.

The incident caused outrage and they were suspended and ordered to leave the Olympic village. Both found it difficult to get jobs for years to come.

Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali refused to serve with the US forces in Vietnam in 1967, saying: "I ain't got no quarrel with then Vietcong." He was subsequently stripped of his world title, prevented from travelling abroad and only got his licence back three years later.

At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, Australian Cathy Freeman also made her point, celebrating her 400 metres gold medal by running her victory lap with a huge Aboriginal flag, infuriating team officials.

Flower, whose brother Grant also plays in the side, will certainly have angered the Mugabe administration. The Zimbabwe Cricket Union -- to whom Mugabe acts as patron -- said it was considering its response on Monday.

World Cup organisers are unlikely to be too happy either, with England still considering a boycott of their match in Harare on Thursday because of the social and political unrest there and Australia monitoring the situation before playing in Bulawayo. Flower and Olonga's comments are unlikely to have soothed English nerves.

The International Council (ICC), constantly stressing its non-political status, could also intervene with a disrepute charge. Black armbands are usually only tolerated in cases such as bereavement.

Flower is arguably Zimbabwe's greatest-ever player, with more than 200 one-day appearances and 63 Tests in a 12-year career. In 2001, he reached the top of the world Test ratings.

He still averages more than 50 in Tests, a benchmark passed by only the very best players.

Flower is already preparing for the next stage of his cricketing life. He has already handed over the wicket-keeping gloves to youngster Tatenta Taibu to help develop the next generation of Zimbabwean cricketers.

He seems certain to spend more time in England in the near future after his success with English county Essex last season.

Olonga, the first black player to represent Zimbabwe and the quickest bowler in the country, may have more to lose after putting his name to a statement which followed months of diplomatic side-stepping of political issues by skipper Heath Streak and the rest of the team.

At 26, Olonga is still young, with years of cricket ahead of him.

A committed Christian, born in Zambia and with a Kenyan father, he is a fine singer and considered an acting career before turning to cricket. It is tempting to suggest he might still make a career switch.

After Flower's short innings against Namibia on Sunday -- at a ground nestling right in the shadow of Mugabe's presidential residence -- the left-hander made a small gesture to the Harare Sports Ground crowd as he walked back to the pavilion.

It could have been interpreted as a goodbye.

© Reuters

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My personal opinion?

Well done guys.

 

[QuickDuck]

Well I am still impressed by the action taken

 

[Baresall]

These men are high profile sportsmen so it will be difficult for Mugabee to make them "dissappear". Good for them to make a stand. To bad it will probably ruin their lifes and careers because of it. People might not have complete freedom of speach in America, but we have alot more than most.

 

[QuickDuck]

Yes I keep bumping this, but what these two guys did, took gutts.

Unlike our own chicken shit team who are to scared to make a stand.

from the Sydney Morning Herald

Andy Flower and Henry Olonga undertook the bravest stand in World Cup history on Monday, sporting black armbands in protest at Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe's oppressive regime for their opening World Cup match against Namibia.

Flower, the former Zimbabwean skipper, and Olonga, the national squad's first black player, surprised tournament organisers when they released a joint statement 30 minutes prior to taking the field in Harare, stating they would wear the armbands throughout the tournament.

"In doing so, we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe," the statement read. "In doing so, we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe. In doing so, we pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our Nation."

Flower and Olonga acted alone in their protest "... because our decision is deeply personal and we did not want to use our senior status to unfairly influence more junior members of the squad."

And in outlining Mugabe's brutal method of silencing opponents, both have risked their own safety, livelihoods and homes by voicing their opposition.

"We cannot in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and oppressed," they said. "We are aware that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans may even die in the coming months through a combination of starvation, poverty and Aids.

"We are aware that many people have been unjustly imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing their opinions about what is happening in the country ... [and] people have been murdered, raped, beaten and had their homes destroyed because of their beliefs.

"It is impossible to ignore what is happening in Zimbabwe. Although we are just professional cricketers, we do have a conscience and feelings. We believe that if we remain silent, that will be taken as a sign that either we do not care or we condone what is happening in Zimbabwe. We believe that it is important to stand up for what is right."

The Zimbabwe players' stand came after Australia captain Ricky Ponting gave the strongest indication yet that his squad would play its World Cup pool match in Zimbabwe on February 24.

While the England and Wales Cricket Board delayed announcing its position on England's February13 game in Harare pending a further report from the International Cricket Council, Ponting said Australia "were going to Zimbabwe ... if we win our first two games or lose them".

"[The ECB's decision] is not going to affect anything at all for us," Ponting said. "We've got a completely different set of circumstances to them ...

"We're not ignoring or condoning what is happening in that country but as far as we're concerned we're a team of cricketers, we're going there to hopefully play well and get some World Cup points on the board," Ponting said. "[Australia's position will change] only if safety and security gets a lot worse."

Ponting's comments come after reports that some Australians were uncomfortable after claims by Australia's High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, Jonathan Brown, that the country's police would react violently to any protests.

Regarding Henry: Zimbabwe's Henry Olonga (pictured) and Andy Flower have stunned the cricket world by wearing black armbands during their World Cup opener against Namibia. Photo: Reuters