The foreign secretary David Miliband has given the strongest hint yet that the British government does not want Zimbabwe's planned tour of England next year to go ahead, but he left the door open for Zimbabwe to be allowed to participate in the ICC World Twenty20 later in 2009.

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Miliband said government ministers would be holding talks with the ECB about the proposed tour in mid-2009 which, at the moment, includes two Tests and three one-day internationals, although Zimbabwe have still to regain their Test status.

"The situation in Zimbabwe is obviously deeply concerning. I think that bilateral cricket tours at the moment don't send the right message about our concern," he said. "This is something that needs to be discussed with the ECB and others."

The key word used by Milliband is bilateral. It means that while the government would ban Zimbabwe from playing a series against England, it would allow them to take part in a multi-team competition such as the ICC World Twenty20.

That solution would appease the government's well-publicised conscience on Zimbabwe and also public opinion - a poll in The Guardian at the weekend showed 93% opposed playing cricket against Zimbabwe - but would avoid the tournament being moved abroad by the ICC with resulting massive financial losses to the ECB.

Miliband's comments follow a newspaper report last week which said Gordon Brown, the prime minister, was prepared to pull the plug on the tour, although his official spokesman said it is too early to make a decision. Any ban would be the latest snub by Britain to Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe.

Brown stayed away from a key summit of European and African leaders last month in protest at what he said was Mugabe's human rights abuses and responsibility for the country's economic freefall.