London, Nov 09: Former Zimbabwe Test pace bowler Henry Olonga has admitted that he will probably never play cricket again after undergoing knee surgery. "I think I'm finished," the 27-year-old told yesterday.
Olonga, and teammate Andy Flower, won worldwide praise earlier this year for their anti-Robert Mugabe protest during the World Cup when both men wore black armbands and issued a powerful statement denouncing the policies of the Zimbabwe government.
He is now living in England after being granted a five-year visa and has no plans to try and play county cricket.
"I'm not interested. If Zimbabwe were to change, I might consider a comeback but I've still got to find the motivation and my biggest stumbling block at the moment is my fitness.
"We'll see how my knee progresses. It is pretty worn, just from the years of playing, so I'll have to contend with that and whether I want to do further damage."
Olonga, who first suffered knee problems in 2002, is now pursuing a music career.
But he remains a vocal critic of the Mugabe regime and has added his voice to those demanding England pull out of a proposed tour to Zimbabwe next year.
Bureau Report