CA plays down report of Howard snub by NZ

Cricket Australia has played down a report that John Howard has been snubbed by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) after the drawn-out election process that installed Howard as the next ICC vice-presidential nominee. The Dominion Post reported on Tuesday that CA had suggested Howard visit Wellington this week for the first Test only to meet a frosty reception from NZC.

Howard was eventually named as the two nations' joint nominee for the ICC role, but only after the vote was deadlocked as New Zealand preferred their own candidate, Sir John Anderson. The Dominion Post said NZC was uncomfortable with the idea of Howard attending the Wellington Test as it was premature and also because it could be awkward as Anderson would be there.

Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of NZC, said his Australian counterpart James Sutherland had suggested Howard visiting New Zealand but it was late notice and the full NZC board could not be gathered to meet him. He [Howard] was certainly welcome to come over and watch the cricket and I'm keen to get John over here at some stage but now wasn't the right time, Vaughan said.

There were reports of ill-feeling between Australia and New Zealand during the Howard-Anderson debate, and the Australian businessman Sir Rod Eddington was called in to the committee to break the deadlock. Cricket Australia's spokesman Peter Young said relations between the two boards had not been hurt by the nomination process.

"The chemistry between CA and NZC prior to, during and after that process has been absolutely excellent," Young told Cricinfo. "I know that [CA chief executive] James Sutherland talked when he was in New Zealand a month or so ago about the desirability of John Howard going over there at some stage and I think everybody agrees in principle that that's a good idea.

"I don't know how specific that discussion was but our sense is he will at some stage go over there. Our view is that he's not an Australian delegate or an Australia-New Zealand delegate to the ICC. Now he has been nominated he is part of the ICC and any decision he makes to go over there would be either his and/or the ICC's. It's not a Cricket Australia issue."