ECB to consult players over Zimbabwe

England's cricketers have been drawn back into the political row surrounding their scheduled tour of Zimbabwe next winter, after it was announced that the England & Wales Cricket Board would be consulting the players before making a final decision on the trip.

With pressure mounting from all quarters of the International Cricket Council, the ECB's isolation is deepening, and their chairman David Morgan has a battle on his hands to justify England's moral stance. "It was very clear that all members of the ICC are keen that we should tour Zimbabwe," he said. "We have to take many things into account, and shall be discussing the issue over the coming months.

"We are not dithering," Morgan insisted. "The players are a very important element in this, and I shall be in Barbados for the third Test, where I will talk with the players and the management about the Zimbabwe tour."

For the players, the situation is a hugely unwelcome distraction as they attempt to win a series in the Caribbean for the first time in 36 years, and the ECB will be keen to avoid a repeat of the imbroglio that Nasser Hussain and his World Cup squad were dragged into during last year's World Cup.

The ICC want a clear decision before the end of April, and Ehsan Mani, their president, is starting to get tough. At present, he claims there is no plan to shift next September's Champions Trophy out of England, but he added: "This isn't an absolutely final position." England also face a fine of at least US$2million, and possible suspension from the ICC, if they cannot commit to the tour.

The ECB can avoid such sanctions if they obtain a Government order, telling them not to travel. "It would be a real help if Jack Straw was to say, 'We can't direct the ECB not to go, but if we could, we would," said the ECB's Des Wilson, the author of a recent policy document on the subject. "If we decide we cannot tour Zimbabwe that will be the reason we will give."