LONDON, Jan 11: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman David Morgan is expecting England to play their controversial World Cup match in Zimbabwe next month.

The ECB has been put under increasing pressure by the British government to boycott the Feb 13 game in Harare as a show of opposition to Robert Mugabe’s leadership.

But Morgan told BBC Radio on Friday: “I would be surprised if the (ECB) management board determine anything other than to fulfil the commitment to the World Cup by playing in Zimbabwe.

“I want cricket to stay united and I think it has to go ahead for this to happen.”

The ECB failed to reach an agreement with the Sports Minister Tessa Jowell on Thursday after Jowell ruled out any form of compensation if the ECB agreed to boycott the fixture.

A final decision will be made at a meeting of the ECB’s 15-man management board at Lord’s next Tuesday.

ICC president Malcolm Gray has said England will forfeit two points and face a 1 million-pound ($1.61 million) bill if they do not play the fixture. The financial cost could mount substantially if the Zimbabwean team chose to pull out of a planned tour of England later this year.

ECB chief executive Tim Lamb told reporters after Thursday’s meeting that the government’s stance could have serious legal and financial effects on English cricket.

“I think that we have been put in a very difficult situation,” Lamb said.

The relationship between cricket officials and the government was put under further strain on Friday when the ECB issued a statement disputing comments made by Robin Cook, the Leader of the House, in the House of Commons on Thursday.

Cook stated that the government made it clear to the ECB in a meeting with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Southern Africa department in July that it did not want the England team to play in Zimbabwe.

The ECB statement, however, says it was advised by the FCO after the meeting that “there is no absolute impediment to a visit to Zimbabwe by an England team, although there continue to be security and other concerns”.

“ECB officials repeatedly emphasised the importance of ECB being informed at the earliest opportunity if the Government was about to advise the ECB not to play in Zimbabwe for political reasons,” the statement added.

As the row continued, England captain Nasser Hussain, currently on the tour of Australia, urged both sides to make a final decision.

“They should get their heads together, stop faffing around and start making decisions,” he said.

“My view has got to be dictated by what people tell me. I just want to be guided by the people in the know to tell our young lads whether we should go or not.”

Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak on Friday repeated his desire for cricket to be kept separate from politics.

“I think it’s unfair for them (politicians) to press the players on the political aspects. It doesn’t mean that these people are insensitive to what’s happening outside of the cricket field but at the end of the day...we’ve got a job to do,” Streak told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

“The team are keen on all the games going ahead.”

The World Cup, primarily staged in South Africa, is the game’s premier one-day event. Six of the 54 matches are due to take place in Zimbabwe.

Mugabe has received widespread criticism for his controversial land reform programme, a policy opponents blame for the country’s deepening economic crisis and food shortages.—Reuters