Black Caps must tour, says Zimbabwe Cricket

Zimbabwe Cricket is today defiant: New Zealand must tour their country despite worrying reports of human rights abuses and people being driven from their homes.

Zimbabwe Cricket says the International Cricket Council's playing schedule includes Zimbabwe and can't be broken and New Zealand's cricketers will have to tour there in August as planned.

In New Zealand and abroad there is a groundswell of opinion the Black Caps should stay away in the face of human rights abuses in the African country.

But Zimbabwe Cricket communications director Lovemore Banda said today all test cricket playing nations, including New Zealand, should have to adhere to their agreed playing schedules, despite New Zealand appearing likely to lobby the ICC for the right to stay away.

"There's no need to win anyone over (to touring Zimbabwe)," Mr Banda told National Radio.

"All the full member countries (of the ICC) are bound to that. They've all agreed to it. It is a code that binds all of us so there's no need to win anybody over to a programme that you have all signed voluntarily."

Neither New Zealand Cricket nor the International Cricket Council are making any comment on the situation.

In New Zealand, Green Party co-leader Rod Donald has again called on the Government to impose a sporting boycott of Zimbabwe.

And Prime Minister Helen Clark says public opinion is against the tour while Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff is planning to lobby the ICC to let the Black Caps pull out without a financial penalty.

New Zealand Cricket faces a fine of up to US$2 million ($2.87 million) if it pulls out.

But Mr Donald, who has been arguing for the tour to be scrapped since the beginning of the year, says the Government should implement a comprehensive sporting boycott of Zimbabwe in light of the deteriorating human rights record there.

"The ICC says it acknowledges the right of governments to impose sporting sanctions," Mr Donald said.

"I urge Phil Goff to put pen to paper and tell the ICC and NZ Cricket that from now on no cricketing ties between New Zealand and Zimbabwe will be tolerated.

"The ICC accepted the Indian government's decision to do this with respect to Pakistan and I would be astonished if it ruled differently with respect to New Zealand and Zimbabwe," Mr Donald said.

Miss Clark yesterday said it was for NZ Cricket to make the decision over continuing with the tour, although she understood it was in a difficult position because it was looking at the bills it would incur.

Mr Goff said he intended communicating with the ICC "and putting it to them that obligations on sporting teams to tour should be waived in the event of a severe human rights crisis".

He spoke to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer at the weekend about a joint approach to the ICC.

Mr Downer said Australia had yet to decide whether to join in lobbying the ICC but agreed it was a good idea, although he wanted to talk to the Australian Cricket Board about it.

Mr Goff said he had asked New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden, who is in London for an ICC meeting this week, to urge the world body to ban Zimbabwe.

"It is time the ICC showed some leadership on this issue," Mr Goff said.

Last year England went on a one-day tour to Zimbabwe, despite there already being doubts about the country's political situation.

England and Wales Professional Cricketers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan said because of ICC contractual obligations it had no option other than to go to Zimbabwe.

Mr Bevan said since then Zimbabwe had been allowed into Britain to play cricket but it was a matter for the New Zealand Government to decide if it wanted to deny Zimbabwe entry to New Zealand for their planned December tour.

"The pressure on this moral and political problem must be heaped upon the New Zealand government," he told National Radio.

"If they're going to look to make political and moral decisions on behalf of the New Zealand public, which ultimately is why they are there in the first place, then that's a good decision for them to make if they feel it's not right and proper for New Zealand to be playing Zimbabwe."

Mr Goff said he believed NZC was becoming increasingly aware of the Government's and the public's attitude to what was happening in Zimbabwe.

"Somewhere you have to draw a line in the sand, stand up and be counted against these sort of abuses," he said on National Radio.

"I think we're past the point where we can ignore it and say it's routine -- it's anything but routine in Zimbabwe."

Mr Goff again ruled out passing a law that would allow the Government to withdraw the passports of cricketers.

"I don't think New Zealanders want to see rights abrogated in this country in response to the abuse of rights in another," he said.

- NZPA