The Press
16 June 2010
By Hamish Bidwell
The New Zealand cricket team’s twice-postponed tour of Zimbabwe looks likely to finally go ahead in May next year.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan met Zimbabwe Sports Minister David Coltart yesterday and confirmed that the way was now clear for the limited-overs matches to be played.
Political unrest in Zimbabwe, as well as health concerns, meant that the New Zealand Government had supported NZC in their decision to postpone the scheduled tours. But with Coltart able to convince Minister for Sport and Recreation Murray McCully that his country no longer poses a safety risk, the Black Caps will go.
“So, pending the usual security and safety checks, we would envisage that we will be touring Zimbabwe in May of 2011,” Vaughan said.
As a full member of the International Cricket Council, Zimbabwe has bilateral touring agreements with fellow member countries meaning “we don’t really have a decision to make,” he said.
“Obviously there are clauses around needing to ensure that it’s a safe environment and we can refuse to tour on the basis of safety and security, as we have with countries like Pakistan.
“At the moment, though, there doesn’t appear to be that level of concern around touring Zimbabwe. So, at the current time, we’re very comfortable about progressing along on that basis.”
Vaughan added that encouraging reports had emerged from Zimbabwe’s recent home tri- series with India and Sri Lanka.
Former New Zealand captain and manager Jeff Crowe, who was the international match referee for that series, reassured Vaughan that the safety and security of the teams and facilities had been carefully managed. “So that’s given us an extra layer of confidence.”
New Zealand tour Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India in the coming months, with players’ association chief executive Heath Mills and Black Caps high performance manager Geoff Allott soon to join an independent security contractor on a visit to facilities in those countries. Vaughan said that was something NZC would “replicate” closer to the scheduled trip to Zimbabwe.
While he was confident the players’ association supported the tour to Zimbabwe, Vaughan did say individuals were free to declare themselves unavailable.
Mass player defections led Zimbabwe Cricket to relinquish their test status in 2006 and their national team has survived on a diet of limited-overs cricket since. But after meetings with the ICC, they will resume playing test cricket with a series against Bangladesh, also next May.