Cricket chiefs to discuss Zimbabwe ban

The Government will hold talks with cricket authorities on whether to ban Zimbabwe from touring England next year, Downing Street have confirmed.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman insisted no final decision had yet been taken, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are expected to follow the Premier's hard line on President Robert Mugabe's government and scrap the fixtures.

"We obviously will need to discuss this with the ECB closer to the time," said the spokesman. "A decision will have to be made about this at some point but we are not at that point at the moment."

A report in The Sun quoted a Government insider as saying the ECB have been told ministers would back the board in cancelling the invitation to Zimbabwe to play two five-day matches and three one-day internationals in summer 2009.

The ECB would have to pay an estimated £225,000 compensation for cancelling the one-day fixtures under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules.

But because Zimbabwe is no longer officially classified as a Test-playing nation, there would be no penalty for scrapping the five-day fixtures.

It is understood talks between the ICC, the ECB and the Zimbabwe authorities have already taken place, with a view to cancelling the tour.

"I think that it's very early to be making these sorts of decisions," added the Prime Minister's spokesman.

The ECB is avoiding fuelling speculation about the tour, while the negotiations continue.

Prime Minister Brown refused to attend an EU-Africa summit last month, because Mugabe was present, and has consistently taken a higher-profile stance on denouncing the Mugabe regime than his predecessor Tony Blair.