Players' chief Richard Bevan is hopeful England will still get the opportunity to play their World Cup match against Zimbabwe at a neutral venue. The England and Wales Cricket Board have campaigned for weeks to have the February 13 match switched from Harare on safety and security grounds, believing a letter sent from the `Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe' threatening the players and their families was sufficient reason to relocate the game.
The matter was yesterday refereed to the International Cricket Council's technical committee for discussion after the ECB formally announced their intention not to fulfil the fixture in Harare.
The ICC could rule England forfeit points from the match, as well as possible financial penalties, or - as the ECB hope - to move the game to South Africa on the back of the new evidence received last week.
Bevan, managing director of the Professional Cricketers' Association, told BBC Radio Four: "What is pleasing is that we have got past this hurdle now and it has been confirmed the fixture is being reassessed. Hopefully the technical committee will listen to the ECB's new evidence and have the fixture relocated sometime before the end of the first stage."
Filed by Johnny Proby
