Robin Smith is against England's opening World Cup match in Zimbabwe being played.

The International cricket Council yesterday gave the six World Cup games scheduled for Zimbabwe the go-ahead.

But Hampshire legend Smith, pictured, who spent his childhood in South Africa before moving to Southampton as a teenager, can understand why some of the England squad are suffering from split consciences.

England's opening game is set to go ahead in Harare on February 13 but Durban-born Smith said: "It would be morally wrong to go out and play there. Maybe I feel a little stronger about the situation having been brought up in Southern Africa, but I understand the Mugabe regime a little bit more than possibly other England cricketers do.

"Having said that, if I was playing for England I would be in a very difficult position.

"It's difficult to ask players to stand up and be counted when it might jeopardise any further selections or an international career and, really, the government should have made the decision many months ago."

Smith can sympathise with the ECB, whose management board, which includes Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove, last week voted unanimously in favour of the game going ahead.

He added: "I can see where the ECB is coming from. (Chief executive) Tim Lamb runs the ECB like a business and why should cricket be singled out for different treatment to other businesses that trade with Zimbabwe?

"I do understand the argument that Tim has. We all know that we rely on the financial support we receive from the Board and if we were to lose out on a huge amount of revenue then all cricketers would suffer from that.

"It wouldn't just be professional cricketers but cricket at grassroots level. If we don't go to Zimbabwe we could lose out on £10 million."