Chingoka expects England to honour their commitment

Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) chairman Peter Chingoka believes Australia and England will honour their commitment to play World Cup matches in his country.

Chingoka said the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) both had agreements with the ICC to play the fixtures.

And he added that any withdrawal would threaten the entire World Cup - and damage the game at all levels in Zimbabwe.

"I believe that there is a commitment from all the boards of the ICC, the ACB and the ECB," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

I would guess, all told, a total of 5,000 people are fed through cricket Peter Chingoka

The ACB has suggested it will fulfill its fixture in Zimbabwe provided there are no security issues, although the England team's position is less clear.

Chingoka stressed the ICC had sent a delegation to Zimbabwe in November which had ruled the country as safe for players and fans.

"Over the last two years we have put in a lot of efort to make sure we get our two venues to World Cup standard," he said.

"All told it comes to the tune of about 400m Zimbabwean dollars (about �5m), which is a lot of money. We believe we deserve a return on that investment."

Chingoka said there had been no problems when England fans had been to Zimbabwe to follow their team in the past.

"Nothing has changed since their last visit here," he said.

And the cricket chief said the withdrawal of the teams scheduled to play in Zimbabwe would have serious repurcussions for the nation.

"From a unity point of view, this is an opportunity to nation build through cricket," he said.

"We believe when you see the Zimbabwe team, it's a blend of both races which is very healthy. It's a blend of all the various tribes we have in this country.

"It's an opportunity for African teams at all levels to see sport at its pinnacle in this country."

England are scheduled to play Zimbabwe in Harare on 13 February.