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Writing in The Zimbabwean, Peter Whalley considers whether a boycott of Zimbabwean cricket - as regularly called for by those who saw the affect sporting boycotts had on the South African government during apartheid - would have any effect on the ZANU(PF) government:

Although this line of thought is morally correct, it does ignore certain realities which make the Zimbabwean situation completely different to the one that existed in apartheid-ruled South Africa.

There will come a time when the Zanu (PF) leviathan is no more and its fellow travellers on the cricket gravy train will disappear, so that genuine cricket-loving Zimbabweans can take the game to new heights from a position of growing strength. This is surely preferable to a situation of starting from scratch, which would be the case if those pressing for Zimbabwe's total isolation had their way.

This is not to state that disapproval of the current state of affairs should fall away, but it must not be at the expense of the development of Zimbabwean cricket. It is to be hoped that individual cricketers will continue to stand up for what they believe are important principles as Andy Flower and Henry Olonga did during the 2003 world cup and Tatenda Taibu more recently.

These are the kinds of headline-attracting actions that will keep the world's attention on Zimbabwe, while cricket tries to keep its head above water. It is important that people with a genuine love for the game keep the flag flying until the day when real change will once again see Zimbabwe regain its position as the jewel of Africa in all fields, not just cricket ones.

It's worth pointing out that The Zimbabwean is usally very pro-isolation, so this is a change to their usual editorial tune. The argument mirrors a recent discussion over at Caught Behind! with The Burnt Bail's Chris Fogarty. Other arguments aside, I can't help but think that all the moral handwringing that every tour of Zimbabwe seems to bring gives more publicity to the situation in Zim than any boycott ever could...
The Zimbabwean - Whither Zimbabwe cricket?