zimcricketnews.com

Cricinfo reports that the Future Tours Programme-mandated tour of Zimbabwe by New Zealand is again under threat. The tour, already rescheduled from 2009, is currently set for June 2010, but New Zealand Cricket and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association are now citing concerns over the state of the public health system as reason for a further postponement:

"The pragmatist in me suggests that there's still another two years to go in the current international playing programme and we could look to postpone again," NZC Chief Executive Justin Vaughan told the Sunday Star-Times. "Medical facilities are a concern. You can go to countries and protect yourself against infectious diseases and the like as long as you've got a decent standard of hygiene and healthcare services available to you.

"We're not in possession of all the facts quite yet, but it appears that [health] could be quite a significant concern. Certainly, NZC is non-negotiable on the matter of putting our team at risk at any time."

Now, perhaps I'm missing something here, but: the problems with Zimbabwe's public health system - that is, the government-run and -funded system - are well documented, and if visiting sides were expected to avail of the service, NZC may have a point. But I would assume that any visiting side would be travelling with full health insurance, yes? This is, after all, a basic recommendation for any person visiting a foreign country. With such insurance, surely use of Zimbabwe's private healthcare system would be available to them? And why is it that only NZC are seeing this as a problem? As such, the cynic in me simply sees a side that doesn't want to fulfil their tour obligation, and is simply looking for excuses - with comments by Vaughan that a New Zealand government proscription against touring would 'make things easier' backing up that feeling.
CricInfo - New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe under cloud again