England under fire

Zimbabwean cricket chief Peter Chingoka has warned England’s counties they will be left with a multi-million pound bill if the national team pulls out of a planned tour of the troubled African state. In the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter row over whether or not the November tour should go ahead, Chingoka unleashed the financial equivalent of a bouncer to the throat of the 18 cash-strapped counties.

In an email, the Zimbabwean Cricket Union (ZCU) chairman warned that English cricket would face damage claims of “several millions of pounds”, if the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decide to pull out of the tour. “The ECB has made no secret of the delicate nature of its finances,” Chingoka wrote, adding, “As beneficiaries of substantial ECB grants you and your colleagues must judge whether the risk of further major financial penalties is an acceptable consequence.”

The ECB yesterday put off until the end of next month a decision on whether the tour will go ahead. The delay follows discussions with the British government, which has strongly advised against touring Zimbabwe in light of the abusive Robert Mugabe regime.