Willey and Mallender withdraw from Bulawayo umpiring dates

The decision by the International Cricket Council not to reschedule England's cancelled fixture against Zimbabwe has had further repercussions in that English umpires Peter Willey and Neil Mallender have expressed doubts about going to Bulawayo to officiate in the matches there and have been replaced by the ICC.

Based on the evidence presented to the ICC by the England and Wales Cricket Board, Willey and Mallender had concerns about their safety if fulfilling appointments in Zimbabwe.

Willey was due to partner Dave Orchard in the Zimbabwe versus Australia match in Bulawayo on Monday, 24th February, with Mallender as third umpire. Willey was also to be third umpire for the Zimbawe against the Netherlands game, also in Bulawayo, four days later.

Billy Bowden of New Zealand will replace Willey for the Australia match, while Nadeem Ghouri of Pakistan stands in for the Dutch game. Mallender will be replaced by Brian Jerling of South Africa.

In announcing the changes, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said: "Both umpires had separately advised the ICC that if the ECB did not send its team to Harare, they would be reluctant to fulfil their appointments in Bulawayo.

"Since the cancellation of the England match, they have reconfirmed their decisions that they do not want to stand in Zimbabwe."

Willey said: "I advised the ICC some time ago of my concerns and indicated that if my employer, the ECB, did not send its team to Zimbabwe, I would be unlikely to travel to the country."

Willey has always been regarded as one of the hard men of the game. Most of his international cricket was played against the might of the West Indies when they were at the peak of their powers because it was known that he would not flinch against their battery of fast bowlers. He is also regarded as one of the best umpires around but refused to allow his name to be put forward for the ICC Elite Panel because he did not want all the travel and time away from home that such an appointment would involve.

Both Willey and Mallender will complete their other scheduled appointments. Willey is third umpire for the South Africa v Sri Lanka match in Durban on 3rd March, while Mallender will act as third umpire for the Australia v Namibia game in Potchefstroom on 27th February. He will also stand with Asoka de Silva in the Kenya v Bangladesh game at The Wanderers in Johannesburg on 1st March.