Weary Australians withdraw from Morocco tournament

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) has bowed to the demands of its players, and has cancelled plans to take part in an ICC-sanctioned one-day tournament in Morocco in August.

The decision was confirmed after the Sydney Daily Telegraph reported that the players, wearied by a constant playing schedule, were prepared to forfeit up to A$30,000 (US$19,500) each to withdraw from the tournament in Tangiers. They are currently playing in a one-day series in the West Indies, and have been on the road virtually non-stop since last November. They will have a short break when they return home early next month before two Tests and three one-dayers at home with Bangladesh in July and August.

Tim May, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), said that the players were concerned about their heavy workload, but added that security was another factor, following the suicide bombings that left 43 dead in Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, earlier this month.

"Our concerns are twofold," said May. "The first is the volume of cricket. There is significant resistance from the players in terms of their workload. Those concerns are mirrored very strongly by the ACA. The second one is security in the wake of the most recent terrorist attacks, which certainly concern us."

The ACB has informed the tournament organisers, the Sharjah-based Cricketer Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), that Australia remains interested in future series. "There were a number of issues to manage but in the end, it came down to a problem with dates," said Michael Brown, ACB's general manager for cricket operations. "We have told CBFS we are still very interested in future visits, particularly if they can be developed to become a permanent part of the international cricket calendar."