Cricket's mini-World Cup could be staged elsewhere if England pull out of their tour to Zimbabwe.

ICC president Ehsan Mani told BBC Radio Five Live: "If the tour takes place there is no threat to the Trophy.

"But I have a sense that if it does not take place quite a number of our members have concerns about holding the Champions Trophy in England."

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have moral concerns about travelling to Zimbabwe.

But ICC rules state safety and security concerns are the only justification for pulling out of tours.

Opinion is against England's stance in the rest of the cricketing world and it is thought some countries could push for a relocation of the Champions Trophy in retaliation.

Mani recently said the Zimbabwe and Champions Trophy issues should be kept separate.

But following this week's ICC meeting in New Zealand, he is aware feelings are running high.

The ECB intend to make a firm decision on whether to go ahead with the tour in April after meeting the players in the West Indies.

In January, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw wrote a letter to the ECB outlining details of the political repression in Zimbabwe.

And he said the ECB may wish to consider whether it should agree to a "high-profile" cricket tour.

He did not, however, order England not to tour Zimbabwe.

And in the absence of a clear government directive, the ECB are stuck in the difficult position of having to weigh political and public opinion against their commitments to the ICC.

West Indies and Bangladesh have recently visited Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka and Australia will do so in the near future.

But ECB chief executive Tim Lamb argues, however, England's position is unique.

He said: "It is not an issue for the other members of the ICC. We would argue this is a unique and exceptional issue for England bearing in mind the historical links between England and Zimbabwe."

Former Sports Minister Kate Hoey called on the government to take a stronger line on the matter.

She said: "We really do need the government to say something. The ECB and the government could do a joint letter to the ICC to get them off the hook."