KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has postponed its tour of Zimbabwe by a year.
NZC and Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) agreed to postpone the tour, which was due to take place this July following discussions at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Johannesburg this week.
ZC chief executive Ozias
Bvute and his NZC counterpart Justin Vaughan agreed New Zealand would now tour in June 2010, following a week of speculation that Prime Minister John Key was preparing to step in to prevent the tour going ahead.
A spokesman for Mr Key said the Government welcomed the decision.
"It's obviously a good outcome from our point of view," the spokesman said.
"We didn't have anything directly to do with it."
Mr Key has previously indicated he was prepared to order the team not to go to Zimbabwe.
"I'm pretty reluctant for the Black Caps to travel," he told reporters over the weekend.
"There are very real, genuine security risks for our players.
"We don't support that (Zimbabwe) regime. We don't support what is happening in that country, and we don't want to give a signal that we do."
It had left NZC in a delicate position as pulling out of the tour would have left it open to substantial financial penalties under ICC regulations.
Vaughan said ZC was aware of the New Zealand government's opposition to the proposed tour and asked for the deferral.
He said ZC believed by 2010 the current political powersharing arrangements will have had a positive impact on their country.
"This is a pragmatic solution that allows the situation in Zimbabwe to be monitored over the next year," Vaughan said in an NZC statement.
"Given that Zimbabwe remains a full member of ICC we have continuing obligations to play them on a reciprocal basis - therefore this agreement is an acceptable outcome for the present time."
No decision has yet been made on whether a replacement tour will be sought for July this year, Vaughan said.
The proposed Zimbabwe series was scheduled to comprise three one-day internationals.
NZC's general manager of cricket, Geoff Allott, told NZPA the solution allowed time to review the situation in Zimbabwe from a political and a cricketing perspective.
"At the end of the day we certainly want to play cricket and Zimbabwe is a member of the ICC so we have obligations to meet," he said.
"NZC is relatively pleased with the outcome and the position will be monitored over the next 12 months."
Allott said NZC would be in contact with its players and the Government about a decision to tour in 12 months time.
- NZPA
