British Government Scotches 2009 Zimbabwe Cricket UK Tour

The England and Wales Cricket Board, acting on instructions from the British government, on Wednesday broke off ties with the Zimbabwe cricket establishment and canceled a tour of England by the Zimbabwean team scheduled for next year.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the United Kingdom will call on other nations to support suspending Zimbabwe from next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Britain.

London took the action to step up pressure on the Harare over the political violence which international observers say is sponsored by the government of President Robert Mugabe, and the Zimbabwean government's manipulation of the electoral process in general.

British parliamentarian and former sports minister Kate Hoey told VOA reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye that the move is a step in the right direction as the world deplores mounting violence and political repression in Zimbabwe.

More reports from VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe...