New Zealand bishops oppose Zimbabwe cricket tour

Wellington - New Zealand's Anglican bishops spoke out Thursday against a scheduled tour of Zimbabwe by the national cricket team next month, saying the extent of human rights abuses in the African nation must be challenged. In a statement, the bishops acknowledged the team faced heavy financial penalties from the International Cricket Council (ICC) if they cancelled the tour, but said the moral costs of going outweighed those considerations. The New Zealand government, backed by Australia, has written to the ICC urging it to ban all games with Zimbabwe, but cabinet minister Jim Anderton has admitted the letter was likely to be ignored, largely because most of the 10 full-member nations had dubious security and human rights records. "As politicians we know how to count, and we know that the majority is not on our side on this," Anderton said. After talks with government ministers on Wednesday, Martin Snedden, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, the sport's national governing body, appealed for public understanding. He said the financial penalties for pulling out of the tour would be crippling. The government has confirmed it will block a return tour of New Zealand by Zimbabwe at the end of the year by refusing the players entry visas. © dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

And Also

Look Back at the Worst Celebrity Breakups

Look Back at the Worst Celebrity Breakups - PopEater
GASP: Goldstriker creates world's most expensive iPhone - The Tech Herald
A Charlie Brown Christmas Preview - Cinema Blend
Guide to Avoiding Red Carpet Faux Pas - PopEater
A&E series 'Hoarders' and 'Intervention' premiere Monday, Nov. 30th, preview

Other Sport

Other Sport News

New Zealand bishops oppose Zimbabwe cricket tour

And Also

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Other Sport

Older Talkback

From Sites we Like

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print