England refuse compensation demands

England are refusing to pay Zimbabwe Cricket any compensation as a result of the decision not to reschedule the first one-day international of the current series, which was due to have been played at Harare last Friday (November 26).

The match was cancelled because of the dispute over journalists' accreditation which meant that England arrived in Zimbabwe two days later than scheduled. ZC tried to shift the match back 24 hours to the Saturday, but England refused, arguing that it would have meant them playing less than a day after arriving in the country.

The Zimbabwe board claims that the cancellation has cost it US$600,000 in lost gate receipts as well as proceeds from sponsors and TV coverage. The English board dispute this, believing the figure to be closer to US$50,000.

"Zimbabwe Cricket has indicated it has suffered a significant financial penalty as a result of there being one fewer match," said David Morgan, the ECB's chairman. "We've made it clear we don't think the ECB are liable for that loss and that it's a direct result of the delay in media accreditation."

Andrew Walpole, England's media-relations manager, endorsed that stance: "We continue to attribute any loss to the delay in accrediting the 13 UK journalists. The figure quoted is incorrect and a far smaller sum is at issue."