Two top Zimbabwe cricketers waded into the row over hosting World Cup matches on Monday with an unprecedented attack on Zimbabwe’s leaders minutes before opening their campaign in Harare.

Leading Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower and black team mate Henry Olonga issued a hard-hitting statement criticising Zimbabwe’s record on human rights and democracy.

Flower, arguably Zimbabwe’s greatest player ever and among the top batsmen in the world, strode on to the field wearing a black arm band and Olonga said he would do the same.

“In doing so we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe,” the pair said in a statement.

“We are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe. We pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our nation.”

England and Australia have come under huge pressure from their governments to boycott fixtures in strife-torn Zimbabwe in protest at the policies of President Robert Mugabe, who they say rigged his 2002 re-election and has triggered mass hunger.