New Zealand tour to Zimbabwe

New Zealand in Zimbabwe 2009

New Zealand obliged to tour Zimbabwe, says minister

Cricinfo staff

February 21, 2009

Zimbabwe's sports minister, David Coltart, has said New Zealand have an obligation to tour his country and that if needed, he will travel to New Zealand to persuade the government. New Zealand prime minister John Key this week said he was prepared to order the team not to tour in July on safety and health grounds, but Coltart said the tour would benefit Zimbabwe.

"My call to the New Zealanders is clear and unequivocal," Coltart told AP. "People have to give this coalition government a chance, and that applies to all levels, cricket included. I would like to see the New Zealand team touring Zimbabwe. If it need be I will go to New Zealand to persuade them to come.

"I am not turning a blind eye to the inadequacies in our cricket and our country," Coltart said. "My call must not be interpreted that way. My call is in the interest of the public, the players and cricket in Zimbabwe. My call is in terms of sportsmanship."

Coltart was hopeful that the new coalition government, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, would improve the political climate. "We will look at the wider political issues seriously. My wish is that by the time they [New Zealand] are scheduled to come in July these issues would have been addressed," he said.

New Zealand toured Zimbabwe in 2005 despite public comments from the then prime minister Helen Clark that she did not want the trip going ahead. She stopped short of barring the team from going, although John Howard did ban the Australian side from travelling there in 2007, and it looks likely that Key will take the same course.

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New Zealand in Zimbabwe 2009

NZ government considers options on Zimbabwe ban

Cricinfo staff

February 23, 2009

John Key, New Zealand's prime minister, gave his clearest message yet that he was prepared to step in to prevent the tour of Zimbabwe in July go ahead.

"I'm pretty reluctant for the Black Caps to travel," Key said. "There are very real, genuine security risks for our players." Asked if he was willing to go further than his predecessor and actually ban the players from going he said that he was. "There are some options that I am working through at the moment.

"We don't support that regime. We don't support what is happening in that country, and we don't want to give a signal that we do."

If Key does step in, then it will free New Zealand Cricket from having to make a difficult choice.

"It's a political question and requires a political solution; it's not a decision NZC should have to make," Justin Vaughan, the board's CEO, said. "We are a group of cricket administrators. We might have strong feelings about the situation in Zimbabwe but judging international politics is not what we're about."

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Train Driver wrote:Cancelled by mutual consent then

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe ... 92092.html

I certainly hope that the New Zealanders will have nothing much to complain about by june 2010.