25 January 2004	Sunday	02 Zilhaj 1424

LONDON, Jan 24: England cricket officials have delayed making a decision on whether to tour Zimbabwe later this year because they want to study the advice of the British government.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had set themselves a deadline of next Thursday to decide whether they will go ahead with the November tour or bow to pressure to pull out because of international concerns over the regime of President Robert Mugabe.

But in the light of a report published by senior ECB official Des Wilson earlier this week concluding that England would be justified withdrawing from the tour on moral grounds, the ECB announced on Friday it needed more time to make its decision.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has urged English cricket chiefs to reconsider the tour.

In a letter to the ECB, Straw drew attention to the "appalling human rights situation" in Zimbabwe and added: "The situation in Zimbabwe is worse today than it was during the World Cup last year."

England promised to tour Zimbabwe in exchange for the Zimbabweans visiting England in 2003. That tour had been in doubt after England pulled out of a World Cup match in Harare in February.

The ECB management board now plan a full debate on Wilson's report at next Thursday's meeting before passing on their views to the Executive Board, who will analyse the possible implications for English cricket should they decide to withdraw from the tour.

"The decision the Management Board will have to take is a very difficult one and involves balancing a whole range of factors," explained Tim Lamb, the ECB's chief executive.

"We must do this decision justice and the management board feel they need a little more time to make a thoroughly informed decision.

"Obviously, the Government's explicit view on the tour will be carefully considered and we're pleased to have it."-AFP