Caborn to stand by ICC on Zimbabwe issue

The UK sports minister, Richard Caborn, has made it clear that the International Cricket Council (ICC), not politicians, should decide if Zimbabwe can be co-hosts of next year's World Cup.

It follows a suggestion by the shadow foreign secretary, Michael Ancram, that the ICC should prevent Zimbabwe from hosting six matches in Bulawayo and Harare due to the political unrest in the country.

Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe has banned journalists from a number of media organisations from the country, but Caborn nonetheless believes that the issue should be resolved by the ICC.

"My position is very, very clear indeed," Caborn told the BBC. "In a country that will not allow sports journalists to actually report on an international event, the ICC will have to look at that position.

"(But) I understand from Tim Lamb (England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive) and others who have been out there that there will be arrangements for all the journalists to go in there, and therefore if all the conditions are right for that to take place as far as the ICC is concerned, then that's the governing body, they make the decisions, not politicians."

A 10-man delegation, including Lamb and the ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed, visited Zimbabwe last month to inspect security. Their report is set to be presented on Friday.