ICC tells England to play in Zimbabwe

Nasser Hussain's England World Cup squad failed to hear the news they were hoping for yesterday when Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, reiterated his board's earlier stance by stating that they have no intention of relocating any of the tournament's fixtures.

Following a two-hour teleconference yesterday, in which the New Zealand Cricket Board had expressed its desire for the Kiwis' fixture in Kenya to be moved to South Africa, and after reading through an independent report provided by Kroll – an American risk consulting firm generally regarded as world leaders, which had been commissioned to assess safety and security in Zimbabwe and Kenya – Speed said: "In light of the extensive report it had received, the ICC decided there were not sufficient reasons to move the game from Kenya.''

He then surprised everyone: "In relation to Zimbabwe, no country sought to have its games relocated and accordingly no decision was required. The cricket boards of England, Australia and the Netherlands did, however, express the players' concerns over their scheduled matches in Zimbabwe.''

The fact that the England and Wales Cricket Board failed to make the same request as its counterpart from New Zealand suggests that it is either happy to toe the ICC line and did not agree with the views of its players, or that it is biding its time and waiting for the right moment to move.

Last night the Professional Cricketers' Association issued a statement expressing its "significant disappointment" at the ICC announcement. The PCA said that Richard Bevan, the representative of the Team England players, would be discussing security and safety issues with the players, representatives of the ECB, World Cup security advisors and Tim May, the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations.

John Reed, the director of corporate affairs at the ECB, was at pains following the ICC announcement to say that the ECB was listening to the players and that Hussain understood the decision. He stated that the ECB would continue to take its advice from the Foreign Office, whose view has not changed. It still feels that it is safe for England to travel.

The likelihood is that the ECB's thunder was stolen by the Kroll report, which was categorical that it is safe and secure for all six matches in Zimbabwe to go ahead as planned. Kroll stated no credible threat exists to the sides playing in either of these countries and that the Zimbabwean authorities had met and surpassed the minimum standards of security set. The views of the United States embassy had been taken into account – which is not that US citizens should leave Zimbabwe immediately, but that they should consider leaving.

For the England captain and his players, who are preparing for the World Cup in South Africa and who have expressed their desire to see their fixture against Zimbabwe in Harare on 13 February moved to another venue, this will be disappointing, if not unsurprising, news.

Throughout the handling of this whole affair, which is only tarnishing the image of the tournament and the game of cricket itself, contracts and internal politics are being put ahead of common sense.

Despite failing to put forward a formal resolution to the ICC board to move England's match, David Morgan, the chairman of the ECB, did make some strong remarks about safety and security. "I want to put the broader issue of the possibility of civil unrest and the threat of terrorism into very stark perspective," he said. In an effort to make the ICC board aware of its responsibilities and to emphasise that these issues are not solely down to the countries taking part in the fixtures, he added: "If there are demonstrations and rioting in Harare during the England v Zimbabwe match this is not just an issue for the two countries concerned, it is an issue for all countries taking part. We should all be concerned, just as we should all be concerned about the security concerns in Kenya affecting New Zealand, Kenya and Sri Lanka.''

This saga still has some way to go. From Sunday, the World Cup's event technical committee takes over. It will then be down to its members to sort out this affair before the tournament begins a week later.