England players voice doubts about tour

If the England & Wales Cricket Board thought it had put the Zimbabwe issue on the backburner for the time being, it has another thing coming. Following the alleged strong-arm tactics that were used to ensure that a reasonably full-strength squad was selected for the trip, the backlash could yet come from the players themselves.

Earlier this month, the ECB confirmed that no player would be penalised if he preferred not to embark on the controversial five-match tour, and it seems that some players intend to take that promise at face value.

Andrew Flintoff, one of the few players to be exempted from the trip, has confirmed that he never had any intention of touring anyway, while Darren Gough is another to have voiced serious doubts about the morality of playing in Zimbabwe.

"Nothing's changed since those meetings and problems we had in Cape Town before the start of the World Cup," Flintoff told The Sun newspaper in London. "I didn't want to go then - so why should I want to go now?" His doubts were echoed by Gough, who admitted to The Daily Telegraph that much could change in the next few months.

"If the plane had left this morning I'd have gone," admitted Gough, "but there's still a long way to go and a lot of things can happen. There are a lot more conversations people have to have and they will be going on over the next couple of months."

There are one or two players who seem certain to tour, however. Ashley Giles was given the option of a break, but decided against it, possibly out of fear that his replacement would prove hard to dislodge if he excelled. And Alex Wharf, a newcomer to the side, told The Western Mail that he had to put moral considerations to one side at this formative stage of his career.

"I think I'd be foolish if I said I wasn't going to go to Zimbabwe," said Wharf. "I have only just begun my international career and I don't think it would be a good idea to jeopardise that by making any sort of stand. Whatever the political situation, we are going out there to play cricket and, like the rest of the boys, I just want to concentrate on the cricket."

Vaughan himself is in an invidious position as captain, and admitted as much to The Sun. "Under normal circumstances, I would have welcomed an extended break after a long international season," he said. "But the England team and the game as a whole are faced with an extraordinary situation in undertaking this tour to Zimbabwe."