The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has given the green light to England's tour of Zimbabwe next month after expressing satisfaction with safety and security measures in the troubled African country.

ECB chairman David Morgan said in a statement the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and also the British Embassy in the Zimbabwe capital Harare, would help monitor the on-going situation until the end of the tour.

"We have satisfied ourselves that appropriate safety and security measures will be in place to protect the England touring party and officials," Morgan said on Wednesday.

"We are also concerned about the safety and security of travelling supporters and the media, and we concluded that Zimbabwe will provide a safe environment provided that they adhere to the Government's specific travel advice."

England are scheduled to play five one-day internationals against Zimbabwe in November.

The ECB had been briefed on the security situation in Zimbabwe by ECB director of operations John Carr and Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, who have just returned from the country.

England, who forfeited their 2003 World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Harare because of concerns over player safety, had come under pressure to withdraw from the tour on moral grounds.