Should the England cricket team play in Zimbabwe?

[Rams]

I reckon they should pull out of the WC altogether to save our blushes

 

[United78]

Do you mean for the political sake or that they are simply crap at cricket?

 

[Rams]

Originally posted by United78:
<strong>Do you mean for the political sake or that they are simply crap at cricket?</strong><hr></blockquote>

good point, both...

 

[Snoeker]

by Not playing there is a real chance that England would fail to qualify... behind Zim.

 

[ellie brown]

The ICC could have sent a message loud and clear to Mugabe, that the situation in Zim was unacceptable by not having the games there. The New Zealand cricket side is in a similar position by not wanting to play their game that is scheduled in Kenya (where they had the dude trying to fire surface-to-air missiles at planes at their airport, and the bomb that killed all those israelis in November )

Depite the fact that the kiwis lives were threatened in Pakistan during the tour of July last year (when the bus that killed all those french outside their hotel, the blast was powerful enough to blow the windows of their hotel rooms out and they came out of the hotel to see the carnage, limbs, etc everywhere) doesn't seem to make a difference to the ICC and they are insisting the games go ahead. If NZ don't play, they will forfeit the 2 points, be heavilly fined and probably kiss any chances of winning the world cup goodbye...

Its all down to revenue generation and if you can't compete with certain other countries, you've basically got no hope of an ICC voting in your favour...are the ICC the UN of sport? <img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" />

 

[Snoeker]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>panic</strong><hr></blockquote>

<img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[No No]" /> who cares enough about the kiwis to bomb them ?




Unless, of course, there's an international sheep militia

 

[ellie brown]

well, obviously, I would have thought we were pretty inconsequential! That's what I love most about little ol'd "I don't know where the feck NZ is, NZ"...

forget sheep militia, man! <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[No No]" /> <img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

 

[ellie brown]

What's your bets on the "cats" this year??

<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />

<img src="graemlins/angel.gif" border="0" alt="[Angel]" />

 

[ellie brown]

damn snooker! the silence is deafening! where'd you go?

 

[giggzy]

There are no international sanctions on Zibbo. So its unfair to ask the ICC to pull out.

Surely its a job for the UN....not sports officials....

 

[giggzy]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>well, obviously, I would have thought we were pretty inconsequential! That's what I love most about little ol'd "I don't know where the feck NZ is, NZ"...

forget sheep militia, man! <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[No No]" /> <img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

......and NZ might as well pull out, they've got no chance!!!

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>There are no international sanctions on Zibbo. So its unfair to ask the ICC to pull out.

Surely its a job for the UN....not sports officials....</strong><hr></blockquote>

I don't buy the argument that sports doesn't mix with politics...

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>

......and NZ might as well pull out, they've got no chance!!! </strong><hr></blockquote>

Hey! more chance than the POMS have! <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />

 

[sidsutton]

I applaud your team's stance, EB.

I wish our's had the same moral fibre.

 

[giggzy]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

Hey! more chance than the POMS have! <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />

</strong><hr></blockquote>

Give over...

Away from NZ, your boys are worse than England!!

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>

Give over...

Away from NZ, your boys are worse than England!!


</strong><hr></blockquote>

Gawd! worse than england!?? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> If we're so bad, innit funny we won a tri-series that was played in Aussie last year?

 

[arnie sidebottom]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>NZ kiss any chances of winning the world cup goodbye...
</strong><hr></blockquote>

<img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

 

[giggzy]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

Gawd! worse than england!?? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> If we're so bad, innit funny we won a tri-series that was played in Aussie last year? </strong><hr></blockquote>

c'mon.....

anyway..since when have the kiwis become a world power in cricket??????

and that tri-series was probably fixed......

<img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

trust me, you've got no chance to win the world cup.

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>

c'mon.....

anyway..since when have the kiwis become a world power in cricket??????

and that tri-series was probably fixed......

<img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" /> </strong>

<img src="graemlins/nervous.gif" border="0" alt="[Nervous]" /> funny you should say that, some say 'twas us that did the fixing! <img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

<strong>trust me, you've got no chance to win the world cup.


</strong><hr></blockquote>

well, I know we haven't now, (unless Snedden can work a miracle with the ICC in moving the game to Sth africa... )

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by arnie sidebottom:
<strong>

<img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>
We will have to win every one of our preliminary game (including sri lanka) to get a good chance of making the super 6...be a tough ask for them... <img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" />

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by sidsutton:
<strong>I applaud your team's stance, EB.

I wish our's had the same moral fibre.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I think everyone has been placed in an embarrasing situation over Zimbabwe, the news here is how the Australian team are going to be protected from shaking Mugabe's hand and the ceremony where they will meet. The ICC are more intent on building their empire than the welfare of the players they already have while they decide to hold matches in dangerous countries, you can bet they will be no-where near the action themselves!

By rights their loyalty should be with those members who are already paid-up and playing (and not giving them too much grief) than those who might play in the future!

 

[ManUinOz]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

....the news here is how the Australian team are going to be protected from shaking Mugabe's hand and the ceremony where they will meet... </strong><hr></blockquote>

You can bet Mugabe will make every attempt to put the Aussies in an embarassing position by offering his hand to shake. Hayden has already stated he won't shake hands with him. There are opponents of Mugabe's regime who are also determined to make "some sort of statement" during the WC. All games s should be moved to SA now to stop any problems.
I vcan't believ that the ACB did not support NZs proposal to move their game from Kenya, shame on the Aussies for that.

 

[sidsutton]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

I think everyone has been placed in an embarrasing situation over Zimbabwe, the news here is how the Australian team are going to be protected from shaking Mugabe's hand and the ceremony where they will meet. The ICC are more intent on building their empire than the welfare of the players they already have while they decide to hold matches in dangerous countries, you can bet they will be no-where near the action themselves!

By rights their loyalty should be with those members who are already paid-up and playing (and not giving them too much grief) than those who might play in the future! </strong><hr></blockquote>

What I don't understand is that it seems to be unacceptable to play in a country that has Mugabe as the head of state but it is acceptable to play against the team representing said country at a neutral venue. To me, this is a similar situation to apartheid when South Africa were rightly banned from international competition until the country's situation changed. It would be hard on the Zimbabwe team because I very much doubt they support Mugabe's actions, but something has to be done.

 

[ellie brown]

The prestige of hosting the World Cup games is probably also seen as a tacit approval of the system!

 

[sidsutton]

Exactly, EB.

 

[Snoeker]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>What's your bets on the "cats" this year??

<img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />

<img src="graemlins/angel.gif" border="0" alt="[Angel]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

Away for weekend

I bet that they will be rather crap, but not as crap as the bulls. Anyway the Stormers are my local team, should be midtable again...

 

[Snoeker]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

Gawd! worse than england!?? <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> If we're so bad, innit funny we won a tri-series that was played in Aussie last year? </strong><hr></blockquote>

Got to final does not = won. You might have beat the Aussies but you lost the finals to us...

 

[Snoeker]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>The prestige of hosting the World Cup games is probably also seen as a tacit approval of the system! </strong><hr></blockquote>

Lets remember that the venues for the WC were planned before the last Zim election that Zanu were predicted to lose by some way, then Mugabe threw a spanner in the works...

 

[giggzy]

just checked the groups..... i think NZ's got a great chance to make the super sixes.....


jammy kiwis, yet again!!

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by Snoeker:
<strong>

Lets remember that the venues for the WC were planned before the last Zim election that Zanu were predicted to lose by some way, then Mugabe threw a spanner in the works...</strong><hr></blockquote>

yeah, so why still have them there?

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>just checked the groups..... i think NZ's got a great chance to make the super sixes.....


jammy kiwis, yet again!!


</strong><hr></blockquote>

Bangladesh
Canada
Kenya
New Zealand

South Africa
Sri Lanka
West Indies

goodbye world cup...
<img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" /> <img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

 

[giggzy]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

Bangladesh
Canada
Kenya
New Zealand

South Africa
Sri Lanka
West Indies

goodbye world cup...
<img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" /> <img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

West Indies????? they are a joke!!!!!!

Sri Lanka aren't much better!

If you don't qualify from that group... i suggest New Zealand should give up cricket.....and find sommat else to be crap at.........like football!

 

[ellie brown]

I woudn't underestermate the sri lankans, they showed they could be a pretty good batting side in the tri-series vs england and aussie, as for the windies, Lara is back with them, and a top performance from his is overdue... <img src="graemlins/nervous.gif" border="0" alt="[Nervous]" />

P.S. we ARE crap at football! <img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" />

 

[Snoeker]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

yeah, so why still have them there?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Dunno, apparently the ICC had no contingency plan. There are grounds available in SA...

 

[giggzy]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>
P.S. we ARE crap at football! <img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>

oh right..... didn't realise you lot played football.

not surprised that you're crap, mind......

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by Snoeker:
<strong>

Dunno, apparently the ICC had no contingency plan. There are grounds available in SA...</strong><hr></blockquote>

its not too late to change the venues, tho it would need to happen this week...wonder what will happen now that England & Wales cricket board have made the formal request to remove the game from Zim??

Aussie are meeting with their high commissioner for advice re: Zim...NZ already consulted australian officials about Kenya, so they may be next...

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by giggzy:
<strong>

oh right..... didn't realise you lot played football.

not surprised that you're crap, mind......

</strong><hr></blockquote>


mind you, we beat aussies into the confederations cup...a small thing, but nonetheless...
<img src="graemlins/smirk.gif" border="0" alt="[Smirk]" />

 

[ellie brown]

Originally posted by Snoeker:
<strong>

Away for weekend

I bet that they will be rather crap, but not as crap as the bulls. Anyway the Stormers are my local team, should be midtable again... </strong><hr></blockquote>

sorry dude! forgot stormers were your side....half decent they are....

 

[Snoeker]

Originally posted by ellie brown:
<strong>

sorry dude! forgot stormers were your side....half decent they are.... </strong><hr></blockquote>

Pissed all over the crusaders a few seasons ago

 

[ellie brown]

woah!

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/cwc2003/hi/newsid_2730000/newsid_2736100/2736141.stm" target="_blank">England opts for Boycott</a>

Ha! the organisers'll be scratching their heads now!