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Zimbabwe will not tour England next year after Lord’s chiefs officially severed ties with the African country and the Government concluded it would not be right for it to go ahead.

The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement confirming they were suspending bilateral arrangements with the African country, following the lead of South Africa earlier this week in response to the deteriorating situation in the country under President Robert Mugabe.

“The ECB deplores the position in Zimbabwe and, like Cricket South Africa, finds this untenable,” the statement read.

“Therefore, all bilateral arrangements are suspended with Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate effect.

“The Government has written to the ECB today and has made a clear instruction that Zimbabwe’s bilateral tour, scheduled under the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2009, should be cancelled.

“The ECB, who have been in constructive and extensive dialogue with the department for culture, media and sport for some time, welcome the Government’s decision and share the Government’s concerns about the deteriorating situation and lack of human rights in Zimbabwe.”

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today urged other countries to join Britain in calling for Zimbabwe to be banned from the ICC World Twenty20, which is also being held in England.

“We want to ensure that Zimbabwe does not tour England next year. We will call for other countries to join us in banning Zimbabwe from the Twenty20 tournament,” he told MPs at Prime Minister’s Questions.

England will now look for other opponents in place of the Zimbabweans, who were due to tour before the 20-over tournament next summer.

One option would be to ask Bangladesh to tour a year early while Sri Lanka and Pakistan would be other possible opponents.

Secretary for culture, media and sport, Andy Burnham, this morning handed over a letter to ECB chairman Giles Clarke outlining the Government’s view the tour should be scrapped.

“The Zimbabwean Government has ceased to observe the principle of the rule of law: it has terrorised its own citizens, including the ruthless and violent suppression of legitimate political opposition,” Burnham wrote.

“The UK Government will always work with the international community to uphold fundamental freedoms and human rights.

“Accordingly, the UK Government has responded with a measured approach, which seeks to isolate Zimbabwe internationally and bring pressure to bear on supranational institutions such as the United Nations and European Union to take yet firmer action against the despotic regime, whilst ensuring that its humanitarian life-saving mission to Zimbabwean citizens continues.”

Burnham continued: “The UK Government considers it would be contrary to this general approach for the English cricket team to participate in bilateral fixtures with Zimbabwe.

“The close ties of the Zimbabwe cricket team to the Mugabe regime have also had a bearing on our decision.

“I can assure you this is not a decision we have taken lightly. The Government strongly defends the autonomy of our sports’ governing bodies.

“We also support the autonomous management of international sporting competitions by international sports federations and independent representation of British sporting interests on such federations by our national governing bodies.

“This decision on Zimbabwe does not alter that general position, but it is made in response to the exceptional circumstances in this case.”

Source: Cricinfo