HONOUR AT LAST - 13,000 MILES AWAY

Reports from the colonies confirm that Australian Prime Minister, John Howard (pictured) has effectively banned the nation`s cricket team from touring Zimbabwe, where they were due to play a few one-day internationals.

Howard seems to have gone further by suggesting that if Cricket Australia (the sport`s governing body Down Under) defy his `ruling` then he will bring in legislation to ensure the tour doesn`t go ahead anyway.

Cricket Australia`s response appears positive - there are already suggestions that the games against the Zimbabwe cricket team might be played in South Africa or some other neutral country, thus ensuring that the development of cricket in Zimbabwe does not suffer unduly through the cancellation of the tour.

Australian cricket captain, Ricky Ponting, has supported the Prime Minister`s move and as to the question of compensation for the Zimbabwe Cricket Board to make up for the lost revenue, it seems that Howard may also be prepared to underwrite any fine which might come Cricket Australia`s way under the ICC rules.

Now, as everyone knows, Zimbabwe under the ruthless heel of its dictating ruler, Robert Mugabe, suffers the lowest life expectancy in the whole of Africa, its population are desperately short of just about every commodity that makes life bearable, an inflation rate approaching 3,000%....and a regime that brings fear, death and destruction to anyone it takes a fancy too. Just ask Morgan Tsvangerai.

All good reasons to excommunicate Zimbabwe from the church of cricket at least - to say nothing about more considerable communites - especially those who seem reluctant to take any meaningful action against that appalling regime.

What a shame then that, when faced with a similar situation a couple of years ago, the England and Wales Cricket Board, along with the British government, were spineless in their approach to the same situation which our friend John Howard has dealt with head on with courage, dignity and strength of purpose.

On a day when the morality of English football has also been severely stretched, it is good to see that honour is alive and well and currently residing in the antipodes. Such a pity that it lives 13,000 miles away and not closer to home.