World Cup: England team get menacing letters

England's cricket players are reconsidering their decision to play in Zimbabwe next month after threatening letterswere slipped under the doors of their hotel rooms in Sydney, Australia.

David Morgan, who chairs the England and Wales Cricket Board, said yesterday that the letters threatened "riots and disturbances" if England played Zimbabwe in Harare in the World Cup.

"Nasser [Hussain, the team captain] advised me that players who were ready to go a week ago were less ready now," Mr Morgan said.

The decision to play has angered human rights groups, who have threatened to disrupt World Cup matches with demonstrations.

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's President, is accused of denying food to regions where people voted for his opponents in recent elections and allowing soldiers to terrorise opposition supporters.

"The protests that we have planned are going ahead during the World Cup and it's their [the cricketers'] problem if they get caught in the crossfire," said Professor Lovemore Madhuku, the chairman of Zimbabwe's National Constitutional Assembly, a coalition of unions, students, churches and professionals.

But Augustine Chihuri, the police commissioner, has vowed to deal ruthlessly with any disruptions – despite a pledge that peaceful protests would be allowed – and plain-clothes police have been permanently stationed at cricket grounds.