New Zealand set to resume cricket tours to Zimbabwe

New Zealand will resume cricket tours to Zimbabwe next year after meetings today between sports ministers from the two countries. Zimbabwe sports minister David Coltart met his New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully in Wellington to allay New Zealand's expressed concerns about security and health services in the African nation.

New Zealand will resume cricket tours to Zimbabwe next year after meetings on Tuesday between sports ministers from the two countries.

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Zimbabwe sports minister David Coltart met his New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully in Wellington to allay New Zealand's expressed concerns about security and health services in the African nation.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan also met with Coltart and said he was now confident tours to Zimbabwe could safely resume. A New Zealand tour to Zimbabwe in March was canceled because of the government's concerns over security and the collapse of the nation's health care system.

The New Zealand government has also discouraged tours to Zimbabwe because of its poor human rights record.

"It's clear from that meeting that our government's position is that they would not oppose the Black Caps touring Zimbabwe next year," Vaughan said."It is important to stress that any tour by New Zealand cricket teams to Zimbabwe would need to be prefaced by full safety and security checks, which are standard practice for New Zealand Cricket."

Vaughan said the New Zealand cricket team could tour Zimbabwe as early as next year, though a tour by a New Zealand A team could take place earlier.