SOBERS CRITICISED

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32425, 12 October 1970, Page 13

SOBERS CRITICISED

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) GEORGETOWN, October 11. The Guyanese Prime Minister (Mr Burnham) today criticised the West Indian cricketer, Garfield Sobers, for playing in Rhodesia recently, and said that unless he apologised he would be unwelcome in Guyana. Mr Bumham told a press conference: “In my view, and in that of my Cabinet colleagues, Garfield Sobers should no longer be captain of the West Indies team. “Unless he recants and apologises for his foolish and ill-advised stand, he will be unwelcome in Guyana.” Sobers, who has been selected to lead the West Indies side against the touring team next year—including

the test in Guyana—-

played in a double-wicket contest in Salisbury on September 12. Mr Bumham had been asked to comment during a press conference called for him to report on his recent tour of Africa, where he attended the non-aligned countries* summit in Lusaka. He told reporters that he intended to make the West Indies Cricket Board of Control aware of Guyana’s position. “It is tragic that a man so outstanding in his field of sport is not sufficiently intelligent to understand the relationship between international sport and international politics, and politics generally,” Mr Bumham said. “He should remember that had it not been for politics people like him would never have been captain of a West Indies team.”