The Age
By Chloe Saltou
June 24, 2010
JOHN Howard last night came face to face with the two Zimbabwean cricket officials who have sought to undermine his bid for International Cricket Council office, in an effort to save his beleaguered nomination.
Howard put his diplomatic powers to the ultimate test at a landmark meeting with ZC’s president, Peter Chingoka, and chief executive, Ozias Bvute, who have close links to the despotic Robert Mugabe regime of which the Australian was a strident critic during his prime ministership.
He was accompanied in Harare by Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke, representing the Australian and New Zealand boards, whose joint nomination of Howard for ICC vice-president, and future president, was meant to be rubber-stamped at the council’s annual conference next week but instead has re-opened bitter divisions in the cricket world.
The meeting was brokered by Zimbabwe’s reformist sports minister, David Coltart, who has paved the way for Australia and New Zealand to resume cricket ties with Zimbabwe within a year and urged the stricken nation’s cricket administrators to support the Howard nomination.
”There are elements who are antagonistic towards John Howard, but ultimately the discussion by the board must ask, ‘Are we in the business of making friends and building strong relations, or are we in the business of alienating ourselves’?” Coltart said in Sydney last week. ”I hope that sense will prevail.”
Howard needs seven of the 10 available votes to become vice-president, with India the critical vote.