England Captain Nasser Hussain has revealed that his teammates have doubts about their World Cup trip to Harare, saying they were 'split in their minds' about whether to travel to Zimbabwe for the tie on February 13.
The players will meet England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan in Sydney, reports said.
'We have not discussed openly whether we could (pull out of the game) or not, but I've asked the boys to read up on the situation,' Hussain said after his team's loss to Australia in a tri-nation match at the Adelaide Oval.
'We are split in our minds possibly because what we see on television and what's happening out there (Zimbabwe) makes you think, is it right to go or not?'
Hussain said reports that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe was distributing food aid along party lines, exacerbating the famine in the north of the country, had led to uncertainty in the players' minds.
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Secret agents from President Mugabe's notorious Central Intelligence Organisation will guard England's cricketers during next month's World Cup in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe so fears Opposition protests against his rule during the competition that he has drafted in the CIO to handle his government's security arrangements for the six matches, including England's controversial fixture in Harare.
In past matches, such as the England tour in late 2001, private security firms have been hired by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union with only limited police back-up.
'This is like putting Hitler's SS in charge of protecting the England football team when it visited Nazi Germany,' said Roy Bennett, a farmer and MP for the Opposition group, the Movement for Democratic Change.
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The role of a sports psychologist seems to have taken on greater significance recently, and it comes as no surprise that the South African World Cup squad have appointed one for the duration of the tournament.
This country's leading golfer Ernie Els believes the input of Belgian sports psychologist Jos Vanstiphout has played a significant part in his successful run lately, which has seen him win each of his last three starts and pocket nearly $4 million.
The South African cricket side are looking at a massive financial windfall too should they win next month's World Cup -- although it will be nothing like what Els earned lately.
The SA squad will gather in Drakensberg at the start of a four-day camp, which coach Eric Simons says will be aimed at refining their 'soft skills.'
As part of the camp, the squad will conduct various sessions with sports psychologist Clinton Gahwiler.
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Former coach Gordon Greenidge has joined the Bangladesh team's tour of Namibia ahead of the World Cup.
'Greenidge has already joined the team in Namibia to help coach Mohsin Kamal as a consultant, but only for a short period,' a Bangladesh cricket board official said.
Greenidge will work with the team during five one-day warm-up matches in Namibia but will not travel with them to South Africa, where the majority of the tournament's 54 matches will be held, on January 31.
The 51-year-old former West Indies opening batsman guided Bangladesh to victory at the ICC Trophy in 1997, a triumph that paved the way for Bangladesh to make their debut in the 1999 World Cup in England.
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Ian Chappell's forthright comments on September 10 last year have led to his removal from the Channel Nine commentary team for the ICC World Cup.
The former Australian captain was apparently dropped from the team for South Africa at ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed's behest. According to a newspaper, Speed was upset with comments Chappell made about his handling of the contract controversy in the run-up to the Champions Trophy.
'It was made clear to Nine Network, through the host broadcaster in South Africa that Speed did not want Chappell to be part of the international pool of commentators,' the newspaper said.
At the height of the Indian cricketers' rebellion over the ICC Players' Terms, Speed had said: 'If a player now finds that through his own actions he has put his commercial interests ahead of his ability to play for his country, he needs to decide what is more important to him the money or playing for his country.'
In response, Chappell wrote in a column: 'Cash or country, eh? No mention of any possible administrational blunder in the whole sordid process, it was straight for the jugular . It's appropriate to point out Mr Speed has earned a substantial income and enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle in recent times courtesy of the skill and entertainment value of the players.... I haven't heard any magnanimous offer from Mr Speed involving a salary sacrifice.'
Chappell said he would not be going to the World Cup and would instead host Nine Network's coverage from Sydney. 'All I know is Speed was asked if there were any commentators he didn't want, not by Channel Nine, but probably by the host broadcaster,' Chappell said.
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FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been invited to attend the World Cup, by the organising committee of the country's 2010 World Cup soccer bid.
South Africa bid campaign chief Danny Jordaan said Blatter had been invited to the opening ceremony of the World Cup on February 8 and the first match of the tournament, between South Africa and West Indies in Cape Town on February 9.
The invitation was confirmed by Ali Bacher, the cricket World Cup executive director, who said they hoped to impress FIFA by displaying South Africa's capability to host a major world sporting event.
'Blatter has indicated he is keen to come but has to clear his schedule,' Bacher said.
