Kenya denies Zimbabwe tour agreed

Cricket Kenya has denied that agreement has been reached with the Zimbabwe board to play four ODIs in Nairobi in October.

Agencies yesterday reported that the series had been announced by the Kenyan board, but a spokesman told Cricinfo that while it was hoped to host Zimbabwe later this year, there had been no response from Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) to proposals.

Two options were put forward. One, which is believed to be backed by the ICC which wants to see Zimbabwe play more cricket against the leading Associates, would be for them to visit Kenya in October while Ireland are also there and for the three sides to play in a triangular series. The other proposal would be for Zimbabwe to play a bilateral series in December.

The last series between the two countries was almost two-and-a-half years ago when they drew 2-2 in Zimbabwe. Kenya has been trying to get a return series arranged ever since but the Zimbabwe board has failed to agree to tour.

A Cricket Kenya source admitted even if ZC agreed to visit, there was no guarantee that the Kenyan government, which has been vociferously critical of the excesses of the Mugabe regime following March's presidential elections, would allow the team to enter the country. The the recent summit of African leaders, Kenya's prime minister Raila Odinga called for Mugabe to be suspended from the African Union until he allows free and fair elections.

During a recent World Cup-African Nations Cup football qualifier in Nairobi, Kenyan fans taunted Zimbabwean players by shouting "Mugabe must go, Mugabe must go" as they entered the Nairobi's Nyayo National stadium.