The Hindu : England keeps decision on hold

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 10, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

England keeps decision on hold

CAPE TOWN Feb. 9. England's deeply-divided camp has decided to delay its decision over whether to play its World Cup match in Zimbabwe, team officials announced on Sunday.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tim Lamb told a news conference new information had come to light that the board and players needed to examine. He refused to answer any questions.

The new delay, announced during the first game of the tournament between main hosts South Africa and West Indies, came after months of wrangling involving players, administrators and politicians.

Nasser Hussain and England are considering forfeiting Thursday's Group A game in Harare because of deep-seated concerns over security following social and political unrest in Zimbabwe.

The team and ECB officials had been agonising over the decision in a string of meetings since late on Friday when their official request to have the game switched to South Africa was thrown out on appeal.

A wider debate, however, had been raging since the end of last year, involving prime ministers and leading politicians in England, Australia — which is also scheduled to play in Zimbabwe — and New Zealand, whose team is refusing to play a game in Kenya, also over security worries.

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