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HARARE, Aug 6: New Zealand are determined not to be distracted by the controversy surrounding their cricket tour to Zimbabwe, captain Stephen Fleming said on Saturday. The opening Test of a two-match series starts at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday while debate still rages in New Zealand over whether the tourists should be in the troubled southern African country.
Last month, the New Zealand Government passed a resolution calling on the International Cricket Council and New Zealand Cricket to cancel the trip due to concerns over human rights abuses under Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
“I guess the party line is that we’re here to play cricket,” Fleming told a news conference.
“The guys have taken in a lot of info and we’re very aware of the situation, but the biggest mistake we could make would be to focus too much on what’s happening outside the cricket.”
TEAMS:
ZIMBABWE: Brendan Taylor, Neil Ferreira, Dion Ebrahim, Stuart Carlisle, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Wishart, Tatenda Taibu (captain), Heath Streak, Blessing Mahwire, Graeme Cremer, Chris Mpofu.
NEW ZEALAND (from): Lou Vincent, James Marshall, Hamish Marshall, Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Shane Bond, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills.—Reuters
