NZ cricketers delay Zimbabwe tour

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori was to lead the team on tour

New Zealand's cricket team has delayed its forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe citing "security concerns".

The tour, due to take place in July, has now been shelved until June 2010.

New Zealand Cricket's chief executive Justin Vaughan agreed a deal with his Zimbabwean counterpart at a meeting in South Africa.

"This is a pragmatic solution that allows the situation in Zimbabwe to be monitored over the next year," Mr Vaughan said in a statement.

'Genuine risks'

New Zealand Cricket had faced a heavy fine by the International Cricket Council (ICC) if it cancelled the tour.

"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," he added.

New Zealand's government had said it may delay the tour because it was concerned about the security of the team's players.

It's obviously a good outcome from our point of view New Zealand government

Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF government, led by the authoritarian Robert Mugabe, has embarked upon a power-sharing deal with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

More than half Zimbabwe's population is in need of food aid and inflation - estimated by some economists at 10 sextillion per cent - has left its currency almost worthless.

"I'm pretty reluctant for the Black Caps to travel," New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said during the weekend. "There are very real, genuine security risks for our players."

He added: "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."

After the announcement, a New Zealand government spokesman welcomed the move, the AFP news agency reported.

"It's obviously a good outcome from our point of view," the spokesman said. "We didn't have anything directly to do with it."

New Zealand last toured Zimbabwe in 2005, for two Tests and a one-day tri-series including India, although then-Prime Minister Helen Clark was against the tour.

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