Prolific opener Matthew Hayden is grateful to the Australian government for the decision to cancel the national team's Zimbabwe tour, as he had contemplated pulling out of the series if it went ahead.

The left-hander, the highest scorer at the recent World Cup, said he had grave concerns about whether he should tour Zimbabwe.

"I was seriously considering my position this time, as to whether I would go if the tour went ahead," Hayden said.

"I considered not going last time (2004), but went in the end. This time I was considering it a lot more heavily. I think this time it could have been a case of once bitten, twice shy. I felt our safety was compromised a bit (in 2004), the whole tour became a farce," he was quoted as saying by The Australian.

Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist also expressed relief at the government's decision.

"I'm glad it's not a decision we have to finally make," he said.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, however, said he is open to play at a neutral venue.

"If we can play them elsewhere - if our government and administrators allow us to do that - then I'm very supportive of the idea," the Player of the World Cup final said.

"Their cricketers should not be affected by their regime. If we can accommodate them in any other way, I think that makes a great deal of sense," the said.

Captain Ricky Ponting responded carefully to the idea, saying, "As captain of Australia, I've never had a problem playing against international cricketers from Zimbabwe."