ICC awards controversial World Cup match to Zimbabwe

The International Cricket Council has ruled against switching England's World Cup match against Zimbabwe away from Harare.

The World Cup technical committee has awarded four points to Zimbabwe, deeming that effectively England have lost the game. The England and Wales Cricket Board must decide this morning whether to appeal against the decision.

The committee ruled that the venue was safe despite the team's security concerns.

"It's a decision that gives the committee no pleasure," said the ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed.

"I don't expect a quick resolution, not before May or June and certainly not before the end of the World Cup.

"An appeal would be the end of the process. If they (the ECB) wanted to bring it to a civil court they could do but that it is not something that concerns us."

ECB chief executive Tim Lamb said: "No decision has yet been made as to whether to lodge an appeal. This is a very important decision for us and we need to go and discuss this matter seriously."

The committee met yesterday afternoon to discuss the controversial fixture, which was originally scheduled to take place on February 13.

During a seven-hour meeting in Johannesburg, Lamb and Mark Roper-Drimie, head of legal affairs at Lord's, submitted new information.

The match was called off by the ICC following weeks of wrangling with the ECB, who wanted to move the Group A game to South Africa because of safety concerns about playing in strife-torn Zimbabwe.

Today's decision means that England face a huge task to reach the second round of the tournament, after losing points from a match they were expected to win.