England cricketers would be ”unhappy” to play their World Cup match in Zimbabwe if the security situation deteriorates, the country’s cricket board said on Wednesday.
Players discussed concerns they had about their February 13 match in Harare with England Cricket Board chairman David Morgan in Sydney, Australia.
The talks came as the International Cricket Council sent a security delegation to Zimbabwe, including ICC president Malcolm Speed and tournament director Ali Bacher. The visit could open the door for the ICC to move games out of Zimbabwe to South Africa.
Morgan said he was ”very interested” in the security tour, which will report its findings at an ICC board meeting on Friday.
”The players are comfortable with the conclusions that were drawn by the first visit which (ECB chief executive) Tim Lamb was on in November, but they want to be assured that the position remains as it was,” Morgan told Britain’s Press Association.
”Any deterioration, any risk to their safety and security, they would certainly be unhappy to go.”
Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government wanted England to pull out of the match in protest at the policies of President Robert Mugabe, who is blamed for violence, corruption and economic collapse in Zimbabwe.
Also scheduled to play in Zimbabwe are India, Pakistan, Namibia and Netherlands.
Kenya, which hosts games involving New Zealand and Sri Lanka, has also had an ICC security review, but the report has yet to be released. Any rescheduled games will be in South Africa, who hosts the bulk of the February 9 to March 23 tournament. – Sapa-AP