Sydney, Oct 17: Despite boycotting its tour of Zimbabwe earlier this year because of security concerns, the Australian Cricket Board believes Australia's cricket team will play in the country for next year's World Cup. ACB chairman Bob Merriman said the current view was that Australia would agree to meet Zimbabwe for a fixture in Bulawayo on February 24.

"We're due to play a one-day game there at Bulawayo, and certainly as far as the Australian Cricket Board directors are concerned, and certainly senior management, we're hoping we can meet that obligation," Merriman said on ABC radio.

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"On all the information we have at the moment, and we can only go on what we've been told at the moment, it's looking good," he said.

South Africa and Zimbabwe are the joint hosts of the World Cup.

Australia this week imposed sanctions on the Zimbabwe government of President Robert Mugabe, who Canberra says won reelection earlier this through fraud and intimidation.

Australia has led international calls for broader sanctions against Mugabe's regime, also strongly criticised for its policy of forcibly transferring land from white farmers to landless blacks. Bureau Report