SYDNEY, Jan 22: The Australian government on Thursday warned Zimbabwe cricket boss Peter Chingoka that he must have good grounds to enter the country to attend an International Cricket Council conference.

Chingoka is one of 254 Zimbabweans not permitted entry into Australia because of their links with Robert Mugabe’s regime in the strife-torn African nation.

But Chingoka’s position as chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) means he is required to attend the two-day conference of directors that begins Jan 31.

The ICC on Thursday could not confirm whether Chingoka had applied for a visa to visit Australia, and attempts to contact ZC’s headquarters were unsuccessful.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said that Chingoka would need “very particular grounds” for Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to grant him entry.

“Australia’s sanctions are an important mechanism for applying pressure on the Mugabe regime,” a DFAT spokesman said.

“They send a clear signal that the government holds the Mugabe regime and its closest supporters accountable for the tragedy occurring in Zimbabwe,” he said.

The DFAT spokesman could not confirm whether Chingoka or ZC chief executive Ozias Bvute, another on the list of banned Zimbabweans, had applied for a visa.—AFP