England players 'saddened' by dispute

England's cricketers believe they have been used as "political pawns", after the latest - and presumably decisive - twist to the never-ending Zimbabwe saga.

Nineteen months on from a near-identical situation, on the eve of the 2003 World Cup, the players have once again found themselves holed up in a South African hotel, awaiting orders from the England & Wales Cricket Board, after the Zimbabwe performed a spectacular U-turn over the issue of its ban on 13 members of the British media.

While the journalists' ban was being enforced, there seemed no way that the tour could proceed, and for the first time since the saga began, even the ICC seemed sympathetic towards England's plight. But by lifting the ban at lunchtime on Thursday, the Zimbabwe government whipped away England's get-out clause, and left them once again facing a hefty fine for failing to comply with the Future Tours Agreement.

"From the players' perspective, the last 24 hours have been extremely disappointing and saddened the players for a number of reasons," said Richard Bevan, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, in a press conference in Johannesburg. "It's naive to say that sport and politics don't mix, but you are able to draw a line in the sand and say you should not cross that particular line, and using players as political pawns is unacceptable."

Friday's first one-day international in Harare has been cancelled, and the players are understandably keen that it should not be rescheduled for a later date. "[They] have acted in a proper manner throughout by supporting the ECB in a very difficult position," added Bevan. "The players have also asked the ECB to re-consider the issue of replaying the match that has been cancelled tomorrow."

It is particularly disappointing for the players that an issue that has been ticking away for a year and a half should remain unresolved even on eve of the first match, and Bevan was keen to stress that the decision to tour was in no way indicative of the players' moral stances.

"Deciding to tour Zimbabwe does not condone the issues that are going on in the country," he said. "We have discussed on many occasions whether this tour should take place.