Cricket: England confirm contentious tour will go ahead

England confirmed yesterday they would go ahead with next month's five-match one-day international tour of Zimbabwe.

The one outstanding issue for England chiefs was the safety and security of players and officials.

But following an inspection by English administrators and player representatives this month, England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan gave them approval to tour.

"The ECB management board has received a thorough report from the pre-tour visit, and we are grateful to the delegation that went to Zimbabwe and to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union for their full co-operation with the visit," Morgan said.

"We have satisfied ourselves that appropriate safety and security measures will be in place to protect the England touring party and officials."


Last year England refused to play a World Cup match in Zimbabwe after receiving what they said were death threats.


That resulted in England forfeiting World Cup points.

In a bid to restore cricketing relations, Morgan said England would tour there next month despite pressure from the British Government to break off cricketing contacts with Zimbabwe.

And in March the ICC passed a resolution saying that safety and security would be the only grounds for cancelling a tour.

It passed a rule that could have seen English cricket financially crippled by huge fines for refusing to go to Zimbabwe on moral or political grounds.

The ECB said no player would harm his future international chances by opting out of the Zimbabwe trip, and with a test tour of South Africa afterwards, there were many within English cricket who hoped players would seize the chance of a much-needed rest.

Fast bowler Stephen Harmison was the only senior player who dropped out on moral grounds, although key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and opening batsman Marcus Trescothick were rested by England chiefs.

England will play two warm-up matches in Namibia before the first one-day international against Zimbabwe in Harare on November 26.AFP

England squad

Michael Vaughan (c), James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Ashley Giles, Darren Gough, Geraint Jones, Simon Jones, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Alex Wharf.