Zimbabwe on, says Finch

AUSTRALIA’S T20 captain Aaron Finch expects his team will be on the plane to Zimbabwe after being given reassurances the troubled African nation is safe to tour.

A recent bomb blast has heightened political tensions in the country ahead of the series, which also involves Pakistan, and takes place between July 1 to July 8 in the capital Harare.

The 14-man squad met Cricket Australia’s security chief Frank Dimasi to discuss the situation this week.

“We were briefed on it last night by Frank our security guy and are all systems go,” Finch said.

“With DFAT, the Australian Government and Cricket Australia, they’ll make sure that all the due diligence is done to make sure it is safe.

“But at this stage I haven’t heard any unease from the players in regards to going.”

A stand-off between Zimbabwean cricketers and their board over unpaid match fees that date back almost a year will mean the hosts field an XI minus some of their best players. But there are far more serious questions hanging over Australia’s first tour of Zimbabwe since dictator Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign ended in last year’s military coup.

Zimbabwe is due to hold an election on July 30, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeking to bolster his Government’s legitimacy after seizing power. Mnangagwa was the subject of an apparent assassination attempt at the weekend, when he survived a deadly explosion during a party rally at a Bulawayo stadium. Australian visitors are advised to “exercise a high degree of caution in Zimbabwe”.

The T20 series isn’t an International Cricket Council event, meaning security arrangements are the responsibility of member boards. However, the ICC is also assessing the security situation in relation to its match officials.