England lose final appeal on Zimbabwe

The England and Wales Cricket Board has lost its appeal against an International Cricket Council ruling that their World Cup match against Zimbabwe must go ahead in Harare next week.

The ECB made an official request to the ICC on Tuesday to move next Thursday's Pool A fixture out of the troubled country.

That was rejected yesterday, and following an ECB appeal the ICC appointed judge Justice Albie Sachs to make a final ruling on whether there was any justification on security grounds for moving the tie to South Africa. He has concluded that the match should go ahead in Zimbabwe.

The Judge said: "The ECB makes no complaint about the Zimbabwe Cricket Union nor against the players in the Zimbabwe team. It is the setting that leaves anxiety in the ECB's mind.

"The players have manifested deep concern not only about the moral question but the safety of players and spectators.

"The greater the degree of danger and the more damaging its impact the greater the duty on the organising authorities to intervene.

"Having heard the appeal I have not been persuaded that the decision of the technical committee [to insist the match takes place in Harare] was wrong.

"This appeal does not raise or deal in any way with the consequences of the ECB and the England players not to play in Zimbabwe. These are matters for the ECB and the players."

The ECB and the England team now have to choose between fulfilling the fixture despite their fears, or boycotting it and forfeiting World Cup points, as well as incurring a possible financial penalty for breaking their contract with the ICC.

"There will be a players' meeting," said the ECB's chief executive Tim Lamb. "Things will become clear after that."

The president of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, Peter Chingoka, said he still hoped England would play the match.

"I have a hope they will come," he said after the decision was announced. "We are very pleased. We are anxious to have all six games going ahead in Zimbabwe."

Chingoka had threatened a tit-for-tat boycott if the game against England had been switched to South Africa.

England are not the only side to face a dilemma. New Zealand have refused point blank to play Kenya in Nairobi on February 21, because of concerns over a bombing in Mombasa in November which killed 16 people.

Meanwhile Australia, who are in Group A alongside England, have said that they are ready to play Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on February 24.

Pakistan and India, who are also in Group A, have said they are happy to play in Zimbabwe, while Sri Lanka, the other Group B team to play in Nairobi, have also said they will play there.

The first game of the World Cup is on Sunday between the hosts, South Africa, and the West Indies. South Africa is staging 46 of the 54 games, with six planned for Zimbabwe and two in Kenya.