International cricket chiefs on Thursday suspended Zimbabwe over a failure to keep the sport free from government interference.

“As a consequence of suspension, ICC funding to Zimbabwe Cricket (the national governing body) will be frozen and representative teams from Zimbabwe will not be allowed to participate in any ICC events,” the International Cricket Council said in a statement.

ICC chairman Shashank Manohar said: “We do not take the decision to suspend a member lightly but we must keep our sport free from political interference.

“What has happened in Zimbabwe is a serious breach of the ICC constitution and we cannot allow it to continue unchecked.

“The ICC wants cricket to continue in Zimbabwe in accordance with the ICC constitution.”

Zimbabwe's Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) suspended ZC last month, putting the national cricket board on a collision course with the ICC.

Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the recent 50-overs World Cup, having struggled to schedule matches against the major teams in international cricket as their financial position worsened.

The country first became a full ICC member in 1992 and enjoyed an impressive run at the 1999 World Cup, narrowly missing out on a semi-final spot.