Dominion Post
15 June 2010
By Nick Venter
A resumption of cricketing ties with Zimbabwe is on the cards after a personal plea from Zimbabwe’s sports minister for New Zealand to help strengthen democracy in his country.
David Coltart met his New Zealand counterpart, Murray McCully, in Wellington yesterday. He said afterwards he was optimistic that cricketing links would be restored, but the final decision rested with New Zealand Cricket. He is due to meet New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan in Christchurch today.
“The minister said that he understood and agreed with my reasons for wanting the team to tour but he stressed the Government does not interfere with the decisions taken by New Zealand Cricket so ultimately it will be their decision to make. He personally would be supportive of it,” Mr Coltart said.
A spokesman for Mr McCully said the minister had had “a couple of good meetings with David Coltart but it’s a decision for New Zealand Cricket to make”.
The Black Caps had been scheduled to tour Zimbabwe this month, but the tour, already delayed once, was postponed again earlier this year because of “security concerns”.
Mr Coltart, an opposition member of Zimbabwe’s “transitional inclusive government”, said there were no security problems for visiting sportspeople. Zimbabwe had a lower crime rate than most other African nations, including South Africa, and had recently hosted the Sri Lankan and Indian cricket teams as well as the Brazilian football side for a warmup match before the World Cup.
Cricketing tours by New Zealand and Australian teams would strengthen moves towards democracy in Zimbabwe, he said.
“Just as New Zealanders are sceptical about this process, so are many Zimbabweans. The normalisation of sport and teams coming from New Zealand and Australia will build the national confidence that we are becoming part of the international community again.”