But it is also hard to blame a 25-year-old – whose career is going well and is having a great time – for taking no interest in what is happening in Iraq, or Zimbabwe.If a pipe bursts at home I call in a plumber and if I am struggling with my forward defensive stroke I use the services of a cricket coach. As an England cricketer, who is aware that the situation in Zimbabwe is not right and does not know what to do, who can I turn to? The International Cricket Council or my Government? There must be someone out there who can weigh up what is going on in Zimbabwe and give me an honest appraisal.The fact that players are not prepared to make statements on their own is not a cop-out, it is an effort to stick together as a team To fragment would be disastrous and could work against you. As a player the last thing you would want to do is let down your team-mates through saying something you are not 100 per cent sure about. Getting caught out could undermine your position in the side, so it is often best to say as little as possible. Because of this the younger figures will look for guidance from the senior players in the side. They will hope that their experience will prevent people exploiting or making a fool out of them.Being used as a political pawn in a game far bigger than cricket is the big fear for a player, when officials in Government and sport are talking as strongly as they are.

The fact that somebody, whether it be Robert Mugabe or Tony Blair, will make some sort of political gain out of the fate of a match you have been advised to play in is a horrible thought.The World Cup, as well as being the most lucrative tournament in the game, is also supposed to be a celebration of cricket. With this match, which has so much controversy surrounding it, this cannot possibly be the case.If the game in Harare goes ahead the England players will understandably have huge reservations over whether they are doing the right thing and this cannot be correct.Their minds will wander from the task of beating Zimbabwe because they will be keen to get out of Harare as quickly as possible. In that case I doubt if they feel the match should be taking place For the sake of two World Cup points it is not worth it.. England’s most capped cricketer resolved yesterday, to Australian astonishment, that he intends to continue playing after the Ashes series. Indeed, Alec Stewart gave every indication of being Buzz Lightyear, going on to infinity and beyond, as it was announced that he was being brought back into the Test side at the age of 39 to replace a 22-year-old who performed admirably in his absence. That’s no different to how it’s always been.”Australians were confounded that Stewart had regained his place as wicketkeeper from James Foster, who played in the Fourth Test in Melbourne, where he kept with assurance and batted doggedly. Stewart missed the match because of severe inflammation in his right hand, which caused pain every time he caught the ball ­ not something, his critics would say, that he has done often this winter.They cannot understand the point in selecting a man who will be 40 in three months’ time for a side which is 4-0 down, especially as he has produced a string of indifferent wicketkeeping displays this winter.

Their perplexity, which is shared by many English observers, is merely enhanced by the fact that they are showing so little remorse about the imminent removal from Australia’s side of Steve Waugh, one of the all-time great batsmen and their most successful captain.Stewart said he had no thoughts of calling it a day despite the hammering the side have received. “No, I’ve already had seven of them against Australia,” he said, as a reminder of how unsuccessful he has been in pursuing the Ashes.He has played a record 125 Tests for England (only four others have appeared more for other countries) and 159 one-day internationals, amassing a total of 12,468 international runs. The veteran Surrey player has been selected for his fourth World Cup next month. Contrary to what was reported in some quarters, he said that he is prepared to play the controversial match in Zimbabwe if it goes ahead.