Cricinfo New Zealand






New Zealand


News

Photos

Fixtures

Domestic Competitions

Domestic History

Players/Officials

Grounds

Records

Past Series




 





Live Scorecards
Fixtures - Results






England v Pakistan
Top End Series
Stanford 20/20
Twenty20 Cup
ICC Intercontinental Cup





News Index
Photo Index



Women's Cricket
ICC
Rankings/Ratings



Match/series archive
Statsguru
Players/Officials
Grounds
Records
All Today's Yesterdays









Cricinfo Magazine
The Wisden Cricketer

Wisden Almanack



Reviews
Betting
Travel
Games
Cricket Manager







Neutral venues not a problem for New Zealand - Snedden
Lynn McConnell - 12 October 2001

Playing New Zealand's postponed games with Pakistan on neutral territory would not concern New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden.

New Zealand pulled out of its tour to Pakistan last month in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the United States. It has said it will honour its commitment to play the games in the future.

One of the items on the International Cricket Council's agenda at its meeting in Kuala Lumpur next week is the penalties to be imposed when countries don't meet their commitments under the ICC's Future Tours programme.

"There will be a considerable amount of sympathy at the meeting for Pakistan's position," Snedden said.

Recent talk of playing at neutral venues, possibly Sharjah or Morocco, would not worry Snedden. Use of neutral venues was an unfortunate thing and he saw it as only a short term option.

"As long as the facilities are safe and up to standard, and as long as the country was accessible, we would play.

"The key thing for Pakistan is that they have lost television rights for their series, not only against us, but India, which was probably more significant than ours.

"Obviously, television rights at neutral venues would be theirs," he said.

Snedden also threw in Northern Australia as a potential site for future cricket, especially during the southern hemisphere winter.

He said that New Zealand A coach Ashley Ross flew home from the New Zealand A team's aborted tour of India via Darwin and had been most impressed by the facilities there.

New Zealand's main interest was for A team or New Zealand Academy cricket.

The ICC are looking at instituting a financial penalty of $US2 million, or if the budgeted gross revenue was greater, the higher amount for non-complying countries. Two ICC Test championship points would also be awarded to the host country.

However, the ICC was clear that countries would be exempt from penalties where fixtures were cancelled due to force majeure, natural disaster, war or where the safety of players and officials was proven to be at risk.

Snedden said he is happy with his decision to postpone the tour. The ICC had acknowledged its concerns by moving next weekend's meeting, which was originally to have been held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Lahore, Pakistan and finally, after the terrorist attacks, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sri Lanka had decided not to go ahead with a brief tour.

"Everything I would thought would happen, has happened, and now there are protests in the streets," he said.

The introduction of recommendations of the Condon report on corruption would result from the meeting although Snedden felt there would be considerable discussion about the enormous costs involved in providing the required security for players at grounds and in hotels.

"The ICC have really made some progress in implementing education of international players. A generic video is being produced and it will be tailored to each country.

"I believe it will become part of the Academy process here and part of the induction of players into the international game," he said.

Snedden also believed the prospect of introducing a One-Day International World Championship would achieve one of Condon's requirements that ODIs have more meaning.

The meeting will also receive an update on the move towards the naming of the elite panel of eight umpires and the back-up international panel. There will also be five full-time match referees and their availability would be based on their ability to be full-time in the position.

There will also be discussion on a suggested compulsory retirement age of 55. There is a feeling that the appropriate age should be 60.

Snedden said he was still evaluating the ICC strategic plan but it was clear that new ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed had quickly immersed himself in the job and the body was going in a very clear direction on a number of issues.

The executive board of the ICC meets on Thursday and Friday while there will be meetings earlier in the week of the finance and marketing committee and the cricket committee-management.

© CricInfo


Teams New Zealand, Pakistan.
Players/Umpires Martin Snedden, Malcolm Speed.


live scores








Results - Forthcoming
Desktop Scoreboard