England fume at politicisation of interview

"We told you so," was the message from the many critics who warned that England's visit to Zimbabwe would be used by the Mugabe regime for political capital, after an interview with Ian Bell was used by the pro-government Daily Herald to show that life was good in Harare.

The interview was widely covered in the British media, but the Herald turned it into a feature, headlined "England players appreciate Zim", which focussed on how happy the England players were to be in Zimbabwe, and how they would like to return.

"One by one, England's players are queueing up to give their approval of their tour to this country," the paper wrote. "Among the touring players are some who believe in sticking to their business of playing cricket and leaving politics to the politicians."

The article was illustrated with a picture of Bell admiring some carvings at a local market. The photoshoot was arranged by the ECB. That those who staged it didn't foresee that it might be used for political gain is surprising.

Andrew Walpole, the board's media manager, said that everyone was "very disappointed that the newspaper concerned has chosen to politicise what was essentially a piece of sightseeing". He added: "We are disappointed in the way it was reported, and nothing that Bell said was intended as a political comment."

The incident and article prompted Duncan Fletcher, England's Zimbabwe-born coach, to comment on non-cricketing issues for the first time. Fletcher said that the "politicisation" of the tour had already affected the players. "You can't hide away from the fact before the game there was a strange feeling in the camp, because the build-up to this game has been different," he admitted. "That may have contributed to the way we started."

And Fletcher concluded: "As far as the politicisation is concerned ... it has already had an effect to some degree from the point of view that the guys were nervous before the first game."