Australia has withdrawn from its scheduled tour of Zimbabwe.

Citing safety and security concerns for the team and its management, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) had little choice but to accept the advice of a number of government and non-government sources who had identified an increasing risk for the Australian side.

The postponement of the tour is the latest in an increasing number of political factors on the international cricket scene.

Last year New Zealand postponed their October tour of Pakistan after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the New Zealand women had their tour of India cancelled due to the inability of India to provide security for the side while the Afghanistan conflict was taking place.

The last occasion an Australian side was unable to tour a country was during the 1996 World Cup when the team was unable to play scheduled games in Sri Lanka when player safety there could not be guaranteed.

Australia's position in Zimbabwe was the result of increasing unrest there after the recent election and the subsequent suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth.

The chairman of the ACB, Bob Merriman said: "Given this situation, the ACB has now advised the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) that the Australian cricket team is unable to travel to Zimbabwe in the current climate but that we are very keen to re-schedule the games in the next two years.

"This is a decision that the ACB has deliberated on deeply and it is recognised that it will impact most on the cricket community within Zimbabwe. This is something that is deeply regretted.

"Nevertheless, the safety of the players and team management must take precedence and I hope that there are other initiatives that the ACB and the ZCU can adopt that will provide much needed support to the game in Zimbabwe."

"Over the last week, the advice we have received from our own security advisors, the High Commissioner in Zimbabwe, the Department of Foreign Affairs and from other sources within the country has clearly indicated that the situation is worsening for Australians in particular and that there are now real and unacceptable risks to our people should they travel to Zimbabwe."

© 2002 CricInfo Ltd