Significant implications for cricket in NZ with funding freeze

News of nearly $NZ5 million from the World Cup being withheld from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) as a result of its failure to play a match in Kenya will have been an unwelcome arrival on the budgetary doorstep.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to hang onto the amount, which is part of an overall payment of nearly $NZ18 million due to the Test-playing nations as payment for their participation in the event.

The ICC, who have issues with New Zealand, England, India and Sri Lanka, has decided to hold onto some or all of the monies owed to those countries until the issues involved with each are resolved.

In New Zealand's case it is an expected claim from the ICC's television production partners for the World Cup, the Global Cricket Corporation, for the non-playing of the Kenyan match.

The decision was made at a meeting of the ICC executive board of which NZC chairman Sir John Anderson is a member.

No comment was available from NZC today on the matter as its chief executive Martin Snedden has received no information on the decision. It is expected he will be able to comment tomorrow.

But already it is clear that the money involved is important to the longer term planning of the game in New Zealand.

During last year's players' strike it was apparent that a budget utilising the expected income from the tournament was central to development plans for the game in New Zealand.

The fact that the players demanded a greater share of the pool put a strain on that funding, a strain which could be exacerbated if the arbitration New Zealand is expected to seek in support of its reasons for not venturing to Kenya due to security issues, goes against it.