Zimbabwe’s tour of England, which is scheduled for next year, will be scrapped today when the Government confirms that the squad will not be allowed into the country. Direct action means that the ECB will not face the threat of sanctions from the ICC, which has forced the governing body to fulfil fixtures in the past.

Andy Burnham, the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, has written to Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, urging the board to do all it can at ICC meetings in Dubai next week to ensure that Zimbabwe are also prevented from playing in the ICC World Twenty20, which was launched yesterday and will take place here in June 2009.

Opinion within the cricket world appears to be shifting rapidly, with Ray Mali, the ICC president and one of the staunchest supporters of Zimbabwe until this week, changing sides in a move that may prompt the powerful Asian bloc to back any move to suspend the country from all international cricket.

Clarke, out of the country to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary, said last night: “Everybody believes that the situation in Zimbabwe is untenable and while we would wish Zimbabwe cricket to return to a position of being able to compete on the international stage, this is proving impossible under the present regime.”

The breakthrough shows a hardening of the Government’s position in the wake of growing brutality from Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe President, and his allies, but also represents a triumph for the quiet diplomacy of Clarke, David Morgan, his predecessor and the ICC president elect, and David Collier, the ECB chief executive, over many months.

Players, too, will welcome the government intervention. Andrew Strauss had predicted a boycott of the tour and Paul Collingwood, the one-day captain, yesterday urged the authorities to make a decision instead of leaving the final say to the players, as happened in the 2003 World Cup.

Andy Flower, the England assistant coach, whose Zimbabwe career ended with his black-armband protest against the death of democracy in his homeland at the same tournament, said: “It has got to the stage where we cannot have normal sporting relations. I do not think Zimbabwe should play here at all next summer.”

Zimbabwe may sense the tide moving away from them and drop out of the fold, rather than suffer the ignominy of losing a vote. But, if it comes to a show of hands, then eight of the ten Full Members, one of whom is Zimbabwe, will have to support a ban.

The ECB — now likely to invite Bangladesh to bring forward by a year their visit scheduled for 2010 — is happy for South Africa to take the lead on that issue. Its position mirrors that of the Government on the wider issue, that a more forceful presence may be counter-productive.

Flower was pleased with the involvement of Cricket South Africa after it decided on Monday to sever its links with Zimbabwe. “It is time that they acted strongly,” he said. “Leaving aside cricket, they have been pathetically weak. Peter Chingoka [the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman] is part of Mugabe’s despicable plan and the fact that he is allowed to prance around the ICC committee is embarrassing for the ICC.”

England’s immediate concern is the NatWest Series against New Zealand, which is balanced at 1-1 with two games to play and continues at the Brit Oval today. Ian Bell is expected to recover from a twisted knee suffered during a game of touch rugby and Ryan Sidebottom will be available after back trouble.

Steve Elworthy, the World Twenty20 director, promised “a youthful and inclusive tournament” next year. Tickets for adults are priced from £20 to £90 (the most expensive in 2007 were 160 rands, about £13 at the time).

Line-ups at the Oval

England (from): P D Collingwood (Durham, captain), I R Bell (Warwickshire), A N Cook (Essex), L J Wright (Sussex), K P Pietersen (Hampshire), R S Bopara (Essex), O A Shah (Middlesex), T R Ambrose (Warwickshire), G P Swann (Northamptonshire), S C J Broad (Nottinghamshire), C T Tremlett (Hampshire), J M Anderson (Lancashire), R J Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), A D Mascarenhas (Hampshire).

New Zealand (from): D L Vettori (captain), J M How, B B McCullum, L R P L Taylor,S B Styris, D R Flynn, G D Elliott, G J Hopkins, K D Mills, T G Southee, M R Gillespie, M J Mason, J D P Oram, J S Patel.

Umpires: S J Davis (Australia) and M R Benson.

Match referee: J Srinath (India).

Television: Live coverage on Sky Sports 1 from 10.30am (10.45 start); Highlights on Five, 7.15pm-8pm; Sky Sports 1, 9pm-11pm.

2009 World Twenty20

— The ICC World Twenty20 runs from June 5 to 21. The ten leading countries will be joined by two associates and will be split into groups, based on performances at the event in South Africa last year.

Group A India, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe

Group B Pakistan, England, Associate 1

Group C Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies

Group D New Zealand, South Africa, Associate 2

— The two leading countries go into the Super Eights, two groups of four. If results go as seeded, England will play against South Africa, India and Australia.

— The top four go into semi-finals at Trent Bridge and the Brit Oval, followed by a final at Lord’s.

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