Cricketers have say on Zim tour

2005-04-12 13:30

Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark doesn't support a tour to Zimbabwe by the national cricket team, but her government isn't prepared to underwrite any financial penalties resulting from a player boycott.

Replying to a question in Parliament, Clark restated her personal view that the tour should not proceed but said any moral decision on the August tour should be left to individual players.

The International Cricket Council could fine New Zealand as much as $2m for defaulting on its playing obligations, including the trip to Zimbabwe which forms part of its international schedule of tours.

The possibility of such a penalty is expected to heavily influence any decision taken by New Zealand Cricket when it considers whether the tour should proceed.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden has refused to comment as pressure increases on individual cricketers to boycott Zimbabwe.

Green Party lawmaker Rod Donald has written to all of NZC's contracted players, urging them to "look to their consciences" and refuse to tour on moral grounds.

Clark has said she would not "be seen in Zimbabwe", calling the African nation a "pariah state" and saying March elections which returned President Robert Mugabe to power were "rigged."

In response to a question from Donald in Parliament at Wellington on Tuesday, Clark said the issue of whether the tour proceeded was not for the government.

"I was expressing my personal view, but the decision as to whether the New Zealand cricket team tours Zimbabwe is one for the players and New Zealand Cricket to make," Clark said.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen added that the government would not underwrite any penalty incurred if the tour did not go ahead.

Underwriting the penalties "would create an unfortunate precedent in the future in many similar kinds of cases," Cullen said.

He said New Zealand had repeatedly stated its abhorrence of the Mugabe regime and a tour to Zimbabwe by a New Zealand team would not suggest the country's tacit approval for Mugabe's government.

"Sporting boycotts have worked in the past but no New Zealand government has attempted to prevent a sporting team from going overseas as opposed to preventing a team coming to New Zealand," Cullen said.

"I think it's fair to say the current policy of the International Cricket Council makes these decisions very difficult for sporting teams and the policy could well be revisited."

The England cricket team toured Zimbabwe last year in spite of the opposition of its government, but only after Zimbabwe lifted bans on touring journalists.

- AP