Cape Town, Feb 11: Thursday`s cricket World Cup game between Zimbabwe and England in Harare was called off today when organisers were told the English players refused to play there. The International Cricket Council announced the cancellation at a news conference.
"The ECB has told us they will not play match in Harare on Thursday," Malcolm Speed, ICC chief executive, told reporters at a Cape Town hotel.
"The ECB cited safety concerns for the players as their reason for not fulfilling that commitment.
"The ICC gave a direction to the ECB to comply and play the match in Zimbabwe. The ECB said today that it does not believe that direction is reasonable.
"Accordingly the ICC has moved to cancel the match which is scheduled for Thursday. The ICC is disappointed that the match will not go ahead." Bureau Report