British opponents of President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday hailed the Foreign Office's denial of a U.K. visa to Zimbabwe Cricket Chairman Peter Chingoka.
Chingoka wanted to take part in an International Cricket Council hearing on the case of umpire Darrell Hair, but had to address the tribunal by video link from Harare after British authorities, denying the visa, said Chingoka was tied to the ruling party.
That tribunal ended in London on Tuesday after Hair agreed to drop charges of racial discrimination against the ICC.
British parliamentarian Kate Hoey, a prominent Mugabe critic, told reporter Ndimyake Mwakalyelye that the move to bar Chingoka was long overdue.
Former Zimbabwe national cricketer Henry Olonga, now living in London, praised the decision as sending a clear message of dissatisfaction with the Harare government.
Elsewhere in Zimbabwean sports, Highlanders Football Club was well on its way to the CBZ Cup finals following a 2-1 victory over Caps United at Gwanzura Stadium in the capital Wednesday afternoon. Highlanders will now play the winner of the faceoff between Dynamos and Lengthens Thursday, also at Gwanzura.