DURHAM cricket chairman Bill Midgley this week called for a swift decision over England's opposition for Chester-le-Street's historic first Test match this summer.

Mr Midgley wants to avoid a repeat of the recent saga in the lead up to England's planned World Cup match in Zimbabwe, eventually cancelled at the eleventh hour.

Zimbabwe are due to be England's opponents for the ground-breaking match at the Riverside in June.

But fears remain that Zimbabwe, and the summer's other scheduled visitors, South Africa, may pull out of their tours as a reprisal for England's decision not to play last week's tie in Harare.

A contingency has been put in place with unnamed alternative opponents lined up to replace Zimbabwe as a 'plan B' option.

Mr Midgley said he hopes the decision is taken 'sooner rather than later,' preferably before the end of the World Cup.

"The official view remains that Zimbabwe will come. I temper that by what I read in the media and talk that Zimbabwe and South Africa may not come, with perhaps a bit of politics being played.

"Another view is that as we're due to go out for a short tour to Zimbabwe the winter after next they will not want to upset matters, as it means a lot of money to the Zimbabwe cricket authorities.

"Most Test-match playing countries are not that well off and rely on what they can make from international cricket.

"So, if you rule out the interference of politics, and there's been a bit of that, there are contingencies in place so there will be a test match played at the Riverside in June.

"But we need to resolve it, we don't want to go two to three months wondering who's coming.

"If it's not Zimbabwe, let's get the alternative in place. The worst scenario is if we get to May 1 and we're still deliberating.

"We need a decision quickly, well before the end of the World Cup."

Tickets are already on sale for the Chester-le-Street Test, to be played over five days from June 5.