Flintoff to join Harmison's boycott?

Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff: united we stand? © Getty Images

England's players have been given until the end of the Champions Trophy this weekend to decide whether they are prepared to tour Zimbabwe next month. The deadline follows the announcement by Steve Harmison yesterday that he was not willing to take part in the trip.

The official line of the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) is that no more withdrawals are expected, but newspapers today are reporting that several players, most notably Andrew Flintoff, are having serious doubts.

Flintoff was one of the players who was adamant that England should not travel to Harare during the last World Cup, and given that the situation there has not improved - and arguably has deteriorated - it is conceivable that he might join Harmison. Flintoff became a father earlier this month, something which is likely to have hardened his stance further.

Insiders say that about half of the 15-man squad were against playing in Zimbabwe last year, and Harmison's comments in his News of the World column hinted that there were still serious reservations. "My decision was made in Cape Town over 18 months ago when England's World Cup squad spent an horrendous four days before finally deciding not to go to Harare," he wrote. "Nothing has changed for me. The situation there is worse now."

Richard Bevan, the chairman of the PCA, said that no other cricketers had flagged with him that they were considering withdrawing. "If any player does have an issue for personal conscience reasons, he's already been told he doesn't have to travel," Bevan told the BBC. "That's not to say the ECB or anybody else is ignoring the issues going on in Zimbabwe and certainly this will not be treated as a normal tour. I think the majority of players will be going and will be supporting the ECB. But let's wait until the selectors have picked a side."