AUCKLAND, March 10: England face suspension from international cricket and a $2 million fine if they pull out of their tour of Zimbabwe starting in October on moral grounds.

Following a two-day meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Auckland, president Ehsan Mani said on Wednesday teams were expected to meet their tour obligations.

An ICC statement said under a Future Tours Program Agreement countries could withdraw from tours without punishment for safety or security concerns or when directed by their government not to tour.

"The powers are contained in the Future Tours Program Agreement which also provides specific conditions under which a country could withdraw from a tour without punishment, including safety and security concerns, or where a country's government provided clear direction not to tour," the statement said.

Mani said the decisions of politicians could not drive ICC policy. "The adoption of these new powers by the Executive Board reflects it commitment to protecting the future tours programme which is the lifeblood of international and domestic cricket around the world," he said.

ECB chairman David Morgan said he had told the ICC that the British government had informed the board that it did not support the tour. "I explained the very significant pressure being faced by the ECB and I made it absolutely clear that, while the ECB has not yet taken a decision, that it would have a justifiable reason for postponing the tour," he said. -Reuters