Security will be sole grounds for decision - ICC

The International Cricket Council is insisting that World Cup matches in Zimbabwe will only be moved to South Africa if security plans drawn up for the Zimbabwe games are judged to be inadequate.

The ICC's chief executive, Malcolm Speed, and World Cup tournament director Ali Bacher are in Harare today for an inspection tour.

Should they conclude that the security arrangements are unsatisfactory, the whole issue of whether England, and other countries, should play World Cup games in the country would be resolved.

"What is happening in Zimbabwe was foreseen by those who were on the inspection tour late last year," said an ICC spokesman. "If Mr Speed and Mr Bacher are satisfied with the security arrangements and all the plans are in place, they will sign that off and report back to the ICC board.

"The ICC's position is that Zimbabwe is a full member of the ICC and they have earned the right to stage World Cup matches."

One Zimbabwe international player, who requested anonymity for security reasons, has pleaded publicly with England players through the Times newspaper to boycott the trip.

"The England players must think very seriously about coming here," he said. "It's a tough situation for everyone but, from a morality point of view now, the last thing we need is for Nasser and his players to be coming to our country and maybe even coming face to face with Mr Mugabe.

"The World Cup will be safer in South Africa, it will be more organised, the players' security can be more assured. But security is the No 2 issue here; No 1 has to do with morality. There are 6.5-7 million people who are suffering from a famine and, by not coming, the England team would be able to highlight that."

However the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, David Morgan, insists his body will fulfil their World Cup commitment. Morgan met the England players this morning to discuss potential reservations over the fixture.

Morgan said: "When the government made their position clear I think public opinion was very much against us going. But what I have heard from (ECB chief executive) Tim Lamb and (ECB director of corporate affairs) John Read since is that we have had a shift and turned things around considerably.

"The role of the ECB has been to make it clear to the British public what our commitments are in terms of the International Cricket Council and the World Cup. I think these views have been well received and that has changed public opinion.

The ECB, aware of a potential split in world cricket should they boycott the match, have stuck with their decision to go despite Government pressure.

"This issue is currently very big news, and I think at the end of the day we will be admired in many circles for taking a decision that was ours to take," Morgan added.

"The players are concerned about how their action of playing in Zimbabwe is going to be received by the British public in particular. I don't think there is any one of them that has a great appetite to go from a moralistic point of view.

"They are finding it hard to come to terms with going but they are fully aware that playing or not playing a cricket match in Zimbabwe is not going to make a jot of difference to people in Zimbabwe. Like me, they sympathise with what men, women and children are going through in Zimbabwe currently."

Speed will return to London tomorrow, and will brief the ICC's board by teleconference on Friday.