CRICKET can be proud of Andy Flower and Henry Olonga. In finding the courage to wear black armbands in protest at the 'death of democracy' in their country, these Zimbabweans were prepared to put morality and decency before their own personal safety.

Compare the resolve of their simple gesture to the unseemly spectacle of David Morgan and Tim Lamb, chairman and chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, trying to dig themselves out of a hole largely of their own making.

Whether or not England played in Zimbabwe was always going to be a difficult decision to make. But these two men have repeatedly shied away from making that decision, instead seeking to pass the buck at every opportunity in turn to the British Government, the players and the International Cricket Council.

Their procrastination has heaped shame after shame on English cricket and the nation as a whole. When the England players were looking for leadership from the ECB there was none.

If the ECB insisted that the safety of the players was paramount, then the decision not to play in Zimbabwe should have been taken weeks ago, and not left to just 48 hours before the fixture was due to go ahead.

The delay merely cast a dark shadow over southern Africa's first World Cup, added to the tension and increased the security risks for the players they were anxious to protect.

The last few days of indecision have not been prompted by the moral dilemmas of safety and Robert Mugabe's brutal regime, but by the ECB's squalid desire to avoid financial penalties and the loss of valuable points.

These have been dark days for English cricket. David Morgan and Tim Lamb should question long and hard whether they are any longer the proper people to be custodians of the sport in our country.

They have brought disgrace to the world of sport at the same time as Andy Flower and Henry Olonga have graced it with dignity.