England to go ahead with World Cup fixture in Zimbabwe

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today reaffirmed its decision that England will play their World Cup fixture against Zimbabwe in Harare on February 13th. This decision was taken unanimously by the ECB Management Board.

ECB Chief Executive, Tim Lamb, made the announcement after a meeting of the ECB's Management Board at Lord's this morning attended by the ICC Chief Executive, Mr Malcolm Speed, and PCA representative, Tim Munton.

Mr Lamb said: "As I think is widely recognised, the ECB Management Board has been confronted with an extremely difficult situation, not of our own making."

Mr Lamb added: "We are not, of course, immune to, or unaware of, what is happening in the wider world, but we do not believe that it is our role to make subjective moral judgments about the various regimes in the different cricket-playing nations. These are matters for elected Governments to consider and take a decisive and early lead."

The ECB Chief Executive said it was "perverse and inequitable" to expect the ECB to make a symbolic gesture by boycotting the match in Harare. Mr Lamb said: "There are so many more meaningful ways in which the British Government, the Commonwealth and the international community could express its displeasure at what is happening in Zimbabwe."

He also reaffirmed the Board's determination to deny the Mugabe regime any opportunity to exploit the England team's presence in Harare. "We will not take part in any ceremonial activities that could imply any support for the regime or be used as a propaganda platform." he said.