The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) cancelled Australia's two-test tour of Zimbabwe next month due to player safety concerns in the troubled African nation.
ACB chairman Bob Merriman told a news conference that the decision to cancel the tour was based on the latest security reports which showed the situation in Zimbabwe would not improve in time for the tour's scheduled start.
"It is now clear that travelling to Zimbabwe will compromise their safety," Merriman said. "The security of our people is our first priority."
Merriman said the ACB and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union had discussed the possibility of playing matches on a neutral ground, but that Zimbabwe had wanted the tour to take place at home.
The ACB hopes to reschedule the Zimbabwe tour to 2004.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was disappointed the tour could not go ahead but acknowledged the safety of players, officials and spectators was the top priority.
"The game has already lost a recent series in Pakistan and this latest disruption is regrettable from a cricketing perspective," said ICC President Malcolm Gray.
"Having said that, the safety and security of teams, officials and spectators must always remain the priority in judging whether a series or match should go ahead."