Newsday
By Daniel Nhakaniso
3 November 2011
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister David Coltart has dismissed damning reports which surfaced in the New Zealand (NZ) media yesterday criticising the Black Caps’ current cricket tour of Zimbabwe.
New Zealand are currently battling it out with Zimbabwe in a one-off Test match in a tour which was preceded by two Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals.
However, while it was expected the focus would be on what is happening on the field of play, two New Zealand publications, Stuff.co.nz, a web-based newspaper and the Dominion Post, thought otherwise.
The two publications yesterday concurrently published scathing opinion pieces written by Tony Smith and Mark Reason respectively, in a clear sign not everyone agrees Zimbabwe should be allowed back into international cricket. The New Zealand cricket team’s decision to tour Zimbabwe for the first time since 2005 came under heavy criticism with the media in that country describing the Black Caps’ current campaign as a “cause of national shameâ€.
Coltart, who visited Australia and New Zealand some time ago and pleaded with their cricket authorities to renew ties with Zimbabwe, immediately responded to the Stuff.co.nz editor dismissing the negative reports.
“I am very concerned about the negative reports appearing in the New Zealand web-based newspaper Stuff.co.nz criticising the Black Caps’ tour of Zimbabwe.
“… I have just read your opinion ‘Black Caps campaign a cause of national shame’ by Tony Smith. I respectfully could not disagree more with what he has written. The Black Caps are in Zimbabwe at the specific invitation of myself and supported by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and others who struggled for decades to achieve democracy in Zimbabwe. Their visit is assisting a peaceful transition to democracy in Zimbabwe, not aiding tyrants. Whilst Zimbabwe still has major problems it has chosen a non-violent method of resolving them.
“It is similar to the tentative readmission of South African sports teams post-1990 when the country was in a fragile state of transition – which is precisely where Zimbabwe is today.
“Sadly, the article was written out of ignorance of the local situation as is about three years out of date. The Black Caps’ tour is in fact a great credit to your wonderful country and its people. It is helping the painful process of reconciliation in our country,†read Coltart’s statement. Smith’s opinion piece for Stuff.co.nz ran under the headline “Black Caps campaign a cause for national shame†where he slammed New Zealand Cricket for agreeing to tour Zimbabwe.
The columnist criticised some of the Black Caps’ top players for not taking “a moral stand as ex-All Blacks Graham Mourie, Bruce Robertson, Bob Burgess and Ken Gay did in refusing to play rugby against the Springboks in the apartheid eraâ€.
He went on to suggest New Zealand Cricket could have used the $2,6 million profit they raised last year to fund a possible $2 million fine from the International Cricket Council had they pulled out of the current tour.
Curiously, the same cricket was silent when last October New Zealand sent their A squad to Zimbabwe where several of their former players like Lou Vincent featured in the Stanbic Twenty20 series.
New Zealand team manager Mike Sandle was reported as saying: “We are happy to be in Zimbabwe.
“The people are very good at hospitality. This is a peaceful country with no security risk as in other places that we have had to go and play.â€
Former New Zealand all rounder Chris Harris is coaching Zimbabwe’s Under-19s.