Zimbabwe boycott could spell our doom

Just imagine England and Australia decide to boycott their matches. Both teams would forfeit the match and the points. Teams get four points for a win, two points for a tie. It shouldn’t bother India if Australia and England lose points. But what would bother India is that Zimbabwe would get four points for each of the two matches.

The proposed boycott would mean virtual qualification of co-hosts Zimbabwe for the Super Six stage. Top three teams from each group qualify for the Super Sixes. Zimbabwe would be a certain qualifier once awarded points for the matches forfeited by Australia and England.

They would add another eight points from the matches against Namibia and Holland. And don’t put it beyond Zimbabwe to put a game past either Pakistan or India, as at home they are always a fairly formidable side.

Imagine the plight of India if one of its matches either get washed out or ends in a tie. To stay in contention India would have to aim to win almost all its matches and that is a tall order.

In a tight group where all top five teams are capable of beating the other on their day the qualification by default of one team would make things harder for the other four. Whilst a team like Australia can put this setback behind the other three would really get locked in a desperate fight to get through.

The England and Wales Cricket Board and the Australian Cricket Board have so far sought only indemnity from their governments against the feared penalties that the International Cricket Council may impose.

Strangely they have not bothered to highlight the beating their chances of qualification would take. The scoring system of the World Cup is such that these matches would continue to haunt the qualifiers all the way up to the semis.

The qualifiers will carry forward their league match points in the following manner: four points for wins against qualifying teams and one point against non-qualifiers. This would benefit Zimbabwe further as on current form Australia should still be able to make it to the Super Sixes even after forfeiting four points.

Former England captain and cricket administrator Dennis Amiss has very rightly expressed: ‘‘We are, of course, aware of the situation in Zimbabwe but feel it is most unfair cricket should have been singled out as the vehicle to express the Government’s feelings.’’

The position taken by England and Australia, supposedly to protest against the anti-White regime of Mugabe, sounds even more hollow considering that the White farmers led by the father of Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak have appealed against the boycott.

If England and Australia had such severe reservations about traveling to Zimbabwe then they should have stated their position long ago. They can take any action which impacts only their team is fine. But an action, which has a bearing on other teams’ prospects, must be suitably opposed. The Indian and Pakistani Boards must take it up very strongly with the International Cricket Council.