Croft behind England players

Croft behind England players

Croft has sympathy with England players

England spinner Robert Croft backed his former colleagues after they urged their match in Zimbabwe be switched to South Africa.

The players remain concerned about the security situation in Zimbabwe with fears any match they play may be hijacked for protests which could spark violence.

Speaking to BBC Sport Online, Croft said: "Ultimately the players need to have a say."

"They've heard what everybody has to say about the issue and they are adults so it's important their views are aired."

People seem to think you can pull sportsmen from pillar to post but you can't

Robert Croft

Croft said he believed the players had no choice but to voice their concerns after being backed into a corner, following the International Cricket Council (ICC) decision to declare Zimbabwe ready to host the matches.

The Welshmen pulled out of England's tour of India in 2001 together with Andy Caddick because of fears over the squad's security.

He said: "I honestly always thought it would come down to this.

"I'm not surprised, as soon as the ICC said it's safe to play everybody was put in a difficult position.

"People seem to think you can pull sportsmen from pillar to post but you can't."

Croft, who featured for England in the last World Cup in 1999, said the players would have a full and frank discussion before coming to such a decision.

"There will be strong views because there are a number of players who have been around a long time.

"A lot of those guys have toured Zimbabwe before but the way these issues have been building up will have worried them.

So we are happy with the situation, we are happy with our security measures and the ICC were happy.

Vince Hogg, director of the Zimbabwe board

Meanwhile, the authorities in Zimbabwe and South Africa remain confident Zimbabwe will host all its matches.

Vince Hogg, managing director of the Zimbabwean Cricket Union, said: "The [ICC] delegation were back again and were happy with our security plans in Harare and Bulawayo,

"So we are happy with the situation, we are happy with our security measures and the ICC were happy. So we believe the game will go ahead and we expect it to go ahead.

"It's safe to play cricket."

World Cup tournament director Ali Bacher, confirmed the matches scheduled for Zimbabwe could be re-organised for South Africa with relative ease but added:

"As of now, the policy from the ICC - who own the tournament - is very clear.

"Having taken a decision that the players' safety and security is assured in Zimbabwe, they have ruled that a team will forfeit their match points if they do not honour their fixture in that country."

The issues are set to be discussed in a meeting of the ICC's executive board on Thursday, when the latest security information will be presented to the member countries.