London: Zimbabwean fast bowler Henry Olonga fears that he may have to spend the rest of his life in exile but does not regret his decision to join Andy Flower in an armband protest against the 'death of democracy' in his country. Olonga said he had received "direct and clear" threats over e-mail about what fate awaits him if he returned to Zimbabwe, but he still believes he did the right thing. "We had no illusions about the kind of consequences and reactions we could get. The people we have dealt with in the past have been ruthless," Olonga was quoted as saying in 'The Guardian'. "We knew, or at least I knew, that the worst-case scenario was that I might have to go into exile," he added. Teams of secret police from Zimbabwe had reportedly come to East London in South Africa during Zimbabwe's last World Cup match against Sri Lanka looking for Olonga. The bowler announced his retirement from international cricket soon after the match and went into hiding. Flower also announced his decision to move to Australia with his family. Olonga, however, did not confirm whether Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's secret police came after him. "What I have said about the security issue is that I received three e-mails which are very direct and very clear as what these people would like to do," he said. But Olonga looked forward to returning to his country. "If I had the opportunity to go back to a Zimbabwe that respected human rights and upheld freedom, I would probably love to go back and play." Extras:
No info about threat calls to Olonga: Bacher

Tags: cricket, zimbabwean fast bowler henry olonga, andy flower, zimbabwe president robert mugabe.