Cricket: Journalist's expulsion raises more doubts over Zimbabwe

By RICHARD BOOCK

Zimbabwe's suitability as a World Cup venue was again being called into question yesterday after the deportation of an accredited reporter whose only apparent offence was being British.

London Daily Telegraph journalist Simon Briggs was refused entry at Harare Airport after arriving from Johannesburg to cover last night's pool A match between Zimbabwe and India at the Sports Club ground.

Briggs, who had been in southern Africa covering the tournament since the opening game, was bundled onto the next flight back to Johannesburg, in what was evidently a tit-for-tat reprisal over England's refusal to play in Zimbabwe.

Just a day after England umpires Peter Willey and Neil Mallender followed the move by Nasser Hussain's side and decided against officiating in the troubled nation, Briggs was singled out from a long line of media and International Cricket Council officials - including chief executive Malcolm Speed, head of corporate affairs Brendon McClements, and Patrick Ronan, the head of the World Cup security directorate.

It was the latest in a series of incidents that have marred the tournament, including the Shane Warne drug fiasco, boycotts of Kenya and Zimbabwe, racist allegations made against Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, and the drunken antics of United Cricket Board of South Africa president Percy Sonn.

It also follows a controversial incident in Harare last week, when Briggs' Telegraph colleague Martin Johnson had a gun pulled on him by a Zimbabwean official, and was told that British journalists would be ejected from the country if England boycotted their cup match.

Briggs was the only one of several British members of the media to be turned away by immigration officials, who had reportedly threatened to take a hard line after the perceived snub from the England team.

The British High Commission was alerted after Briggs failed to emerge from immigration, and eventually managed to make contact with him back at Johannesburg International Airport - more than six hours after he arrived in Harare.

Briggs said last night that he had to struggle with immigration officials who were attempting to confiscate his hand luggage, and that he was told that if he didn't get on the plane back to Johannesburg he would be forced to get on it.

McClements - who was fast-tracked through immigration and customs with all other ICC personnel - told the Telegraph last night that the incident should never have happened.

Zimbabwe Cricket Union managing director Vince Hogg was also baffled by the incident, although there is a strong suggestion that the ZCU's provocative rhetoric after Mallender and Willey withdrew may have escalated the situation.

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