A bomb blast has heightened political tensions in Zimbabwe, however Australia’s cricket tour of the troubled African nation will proceed at this stage.

Australia face England this week in a one-off Twenty20 then are due to take on Zimbabwe and Pakistan, with the T20 tri-series to run July 1-8 in Harare.

Safety first: Cricket Australia are monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe. Credit:PA

A stand-off between Zimbabwean cricketers and their board over unpaid match fees that date back almost a year will mean the hosts field a side minus some of their best players.

But there are far more serious questions hanging over Australia’s first tour of Zimbabwe since Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign ended in last year’s military coup. Zimbabwe is due to hold an election on July 30 and President Emmerson Mnangagwa was the target of an assassination attempt at the weekend, when he survived a deadly explosion during a party rally at a Bulawayo stadium.

Cricket Australia is monitoring the situation closely.