ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final: New Zealand PM John Key misses a funeral to attend the final

New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key too has stayed back in Melbourne to watch the cricket match instead of flying to Singapore to attend the state funeral for Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

It is a huge day for New Zealand, their fans, the country as they face neighbours Australia in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It is for the first time that the Kiwis have made it to the final of a World Cup tournament. And without any doubt, no one wants to miss the opportunity to be present at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to witness history.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key too has stayed back in Melbourne to watch the cricket match instead of flying to Singapore to attend the state funeral for Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew. He has sent Governor-General Jerry Mateparae to Singapore to represent New Zealand.

“It was a difficult decision because obviously I want to go to both,” Key told in report on AFP. He described Lee as ‘a close and long-time friend of New Zealand’ and said that Mateparae, as New Zealand’s head of state, was more senior than the prime minister.

Key added that he had decided before the semi-final that should the Blackcaps make the final then he will attend the final at MCG. “I think that’s the right call. Our two countries have a special rivalry. Over the years we have been treated to some truly exceptional sporting clashes and I expect this one will be no different,” Key added.

However, his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott is giving the final a miss and will join other regional leaders in Singapore for Lee’s funeral.  “Lee was a leading international statesman of his time, and laid the foundation upon which successive Singaporean and Australian governments have built a strong relationship,” Abbott said in a statement last week.