Cricket: Black Caps will not play match in Nairobi

6.00pm

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have refused to send their team to Nairobi for their World Cup cricket match against Kenya on February 21.

NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said in a statement the security risk for the players was too great.

The decision defied today's International Cricket Council (ICC) ruling that matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe would continue as planned despite safety fears.

"The board has concluded that on the basis of the information currently available the safety and security risk for our players is too high," Snedden said.

"The New Zealand Cricket board will give notice to the ICC that it does not believe that the decision taken by the ICC last night was reasonable.

"This is a matter which will now be resolved through legal processes."

Snedden said the safety and security of the team was the only relevant consideration for the NZC board.

The information received by the ICC security delegation to Kenya made it clear that there was a tangible terrorist threat in Nairobi, and the board saw nothing which changed that, the statement said.

NZC took advice from independent security consultant Reg Dickason who visited Kenya earlier this month with team manager Jeff Crowe.

- NZPA