WELLINGTON, March 27: The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to withhold US$2.5 million of New Zealand’s pay-out from the World Cup was prudent, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Martin Snedden said on Thursday.

Snedden said it was not unreasonable for the ICC to hold the money until contract disputes arising from the tournament had been resolved.

New Zealand refused to play in Kenya during the tournament in southern Africa because of security concerns.

“I am confident that our decision not to play in Nairobi was correct and that our position is sound,” Snedden said in a statement.

England refused to play in Zimbabwe over similar concerns and the ICC has also withheld US$3.5 million from them. World Cup organisers refused to reschedule the games, saying the fears were unfounded.

In a separate statement, NZ Cricket said the ICC had rejected a compensation claim from Pakistan after the New Zealand team cancelled a tour following the Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001 and abandoned a replacement trip when a bomb exploded outside their team hotel.

New Zealand pulled out of the initial tour of Pakistan in September 2001 and, during their re-scheduled visit in May last year, a bomb blast outside the team’s Karachi hotel killed 14 people as the players were preparing to leave for the second of two Tests.

In a statement, NZ Cricket said the ICC Disputes Committee found that it was not unreasonable for New Zealand to cancel their original tour given the highly volatile and unpredictable situation in the region at the time.

“Given the proximity of the Karachi bomb-blast and the deaths caused by it, we find that NZC’s cancellation of the re-scheduled tour in May was also acceptable,” the committee said.

Snedden said he was pleased with the decision.

“I am now working with the Pakistan Cricket Board to reschedule the cricket that was not played because of the terrorist disruptions,” Snedden said.

Pakistan say they have lost millions of dollars in revenue because of cancelled or relocated series since the Sept 11 attacks.—Reuters