W. Indies about-face

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 36

W. Indies about-face

PA Wellington The chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council, Mr Bob Vance, '-was not surprised when the West Indies renewed their invitation for New Zealand to tour there. The invitation came several months after earlier plans for New Zealand's second Caribbean crusade — the first was in 1972 — were scrapped because of last year’s Springbok tour. Now the West Indies want New Zealand back in 1985. While the new invitation may have seemed an aboutface by the West Indies, it did not surprise Mr Vance. "The invitation came from the West Indies' board." he said yesterday. "The cancellation was the action of various governments.” He said that the West

Indies cricket authorities were disappointed the Springboks came to New Zealand but still ekpressed the hope that cricket contact would continue. Details of the tour, mooted for 1985, will be thrashed out at a meeting of chiefs from the test-playing countries before the. International Cricket Conference London meeting in July. England, meanwhile, is considering playing at least two one-day cricket internationals in New Zealand next northern winter, as part of its four-month tour of Australia, the “Daily Mail" reported yesterday. At the end of its five-test series. England was joining in a triangular one-day competition spread over four weeks with New Zealand completing the numbers, the

newspaper said. This involves England' playing in 10 qualifying matches — five each against New Zealand and Australia — in an attempt to reach the best-of-three match finals. It is being suggested that possibly two of England's matches against New Zealand should be played in that country rather than in Australia. The "Mail" said this would make economic sense. Wellington and Christchurch are both nearer to Sydney than Perth and the matches would have greater spectator appeal. "The suggestion has been put to us, but there are numerous travel problems to overcome before we could give it serious consideration,” said a Lord’s spokesman.