No 10 urges England cricketers not to play World Cup in Zimbabwe

The row over a decision to let England's cricketers play in Zimbabwe escalated yesterday when the International Development Secretary, Clare Short, branded it "deplorable and shocking".

Ms Short joined a growing list of sports personalities and politicians who have called for a boycott of the cricket World Cup in the African dictatorship.

Downing Street also called on the cricketers to "reflect" on the "humanitarian and political crisis" presided over by Robert Mugabe's regime.

However, in an echo of the controversy surrounding the rebel tours of the 1980s, in which English cricketers defied anti-apartheid protests to play in South Africa, Ms Short said she would raise the matter with Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Tessa Jowell. Her own views were clear: "I think they should not go. It's like pretending everything is OK in Zimbabwe and it isn't."

European Union sanctions were imposed on Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party in protest at his policy of forced redistribution of land owned by white farmers and his failure to conduct fair elections. There are also concerns that political opponents are being starved of food.

"How can you go and play a game of cricket in that?" Ms Short said in an interview with the BBC.

Other opponents of the tour – with six matches due to take place in February and March 2003 – include former England captain David Gower, Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien and Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram.