New Zealand ready to tour Zimbabwe despite unrest

Zimbabwe has been facing problems like unemployment and corruption which led the people of Harare to hold violent protests resulting in mass arrest.

Despite the unstable conditions in Zimbabwe, the New Zealand cricket team is all eager to continue with their forthcoming tour. The Black Caps are scheduled to play two Test matches at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo for which they will be playing warm-up games at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe has been facing problems like unemployment and corruption which led the people of Harare to hold violent protests resulting in mass arrest. However the New Zealand team are still considering the tour to Zimbabwe a strong possibility. The team will also spend nine days in a training camp and will take further decisions on the warm-up at Harare. READ: Kane Williamson encourages ICC’s two-tier proposal for Test cricket

Talking to cricket.com.au, the New Zealand team spokesperson revealed, “We are continuing to monitor the situation. There is a bit of time and water to go under the bridge…and at this stage its business as usual.”

“The situation in Zimbabwe is mostly calm but some reports of politically-motivated intimidation and violence continue. New Zealanders should be vigilant and maintain a high level of personal security awareness in Zimbabwe,” the Black Caps official added.

The first Test is scheduled to start from July 28 and the second from August 6. Zimbabwe will play Tests for the first time since 2014 while it was 2012 when they faced New Zealand. New Zealand had won the only Test of the 2012 series. Zimbabwe’s last victory in a Test match came in 2013 and winning a Test will be a huge positive for the hosts.