Zimbabwe's chances of retaining the six matches they are to host in next year's cricket World Cup are to come under scrutiny in November when a delegation from the International Cricket Council (ICC) are to tour the country to see how safe the situation is. A report in London's Daily Mail said that both Malcolm Gray, ICC's president, and Malcolm Speed, its chief executive, believe the games should be played in Zimbabwe, despite the acceleration in president Robert Mmugabe's expulsion of white farmers from their land. However they admitted they would be powerless to enforce that if individual governments said they would not allow their team to play there.

"We believe cricket should be played whenever an invitation has been extended," Gray said. "Providing the cricketing conditions at each ground, the finance and the security of the players are all safeguarded. But it is not up to ICC and cricket administrators to make political judgements. It is up to individual governments whether they wish to impose sanctions."

Zimbabwe are to play Namibia )whose president Sam Nujoma was as equally as strident as Mugabe in his criticism of Tony Blair at the recent Earth Summit) India, Australia, Holland and Pakistan. However it is their other first round opponents – England -that may represent the likeliest switch of venue. Although they came through a five-match one-day series unharmed last year, Mugabe has upped the anti-British rhetoric since then.

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