England delay Harare decision amid fears of cover-up

The scent of a cover-up was in the air here yesterday after England discovered that they had not been given the full facts of the security situation in Zimbabwe.

An England and Wales Cricket Board party met International Cricket Council officials last night with new evidence of security risks to players should England play their opening World Cup game in Harare, which were leaked last Friday during talks over safety.

While Justice Albie Sachs was revealing on Friday that England's appeal against the decision to reject a switch to a South African venue had failed, Peter Richer, the author of the Kroll report, was being quizzed on his firm's risk assessment of Zimbabwe at the England team hotel.

During a meeting of the players, their representatives, team management, Richer and Patrick Ronan, the head of the tournament's security directorate, it emerged that the Kroll document ­ commissioned by the ICC to substantiate its own findings in the country ­ made reference to other issues.

Richer confirmed there were five separate pieces of information not included in the report ­ including a death-threat letter sent to the ECB in January by an organisation called the "Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe" ­ in case they got into the public domain.

Understandably anxious to discover what they were, the ECB spent 48 hours acquiring them via various security forces and David Morgan, the governing body's chairman, and the chief executive Tim Lamb, were due to present them to the ICC's chief executive, Malcolm Speed, last night.

If they can persuade the ICC that their new case means that Thursday's game should not take place, both England and Zimbabwe could be given two points with no financial implications.

Lamb said: "This information has confirmed the concerns that the ECB has had regarding security in Zimbabwe. An announcement with regard to whether the England team will travel to Harare has been delayed until the new information that has come to light has been formally communicated to the ICC."

More than 24 hours of talks have taken place since Friday and England's players are showing the strain. Richard Bevan, the Professional Cricketers' Association managing director, said: "This is the worst position an England team has ever been put in, off the pitch. My anger is going to be channelled professionally and methodically to ensure the people who have let us down will be held to account. I wouldn't rule out any option as far as being seriously unimpressed with the Kroll Report or the individual who presented it."

Lamb admitted that when the players saw copies of the threatening letter on Friday "they were understandably rattled" and furious that its existence had been withheld by the ECB and the ICC.

However, Bevan said that "in the last few hours" the relationship between the ECB and the squad "has become a united, positive front. It is 100 per cent better than Saturday, when it was naturally bad."