New Zealand Cricket General Manager Geoff Allott says Zimbabwe as a nation appears to be improving and it wasn't just the state of their cricket that has him confident in the New Zealand A team's tour there next week.
The New Zealand A team will play one day series in Zimbabwe, New Zealand's first tour of the African nation since 2005.
Zimbabwe withdrew from Test cricket in 2006 and since then New Zealand and other countries have not toured there because of the political and security situation.
Allott and Heath Mills of the Players' Association, have just returned from an inspection tour of Zimbabwe.... they spent half a day visiting a local hospital as well as talking to local people outside cricketing circles.
The former New Zealand fast bowler says the overall social situation in Zimbabwe under the new Unity government appears better than his last visit 10 years ago.
Allott also met with Zimbabwe's new chairman of selectors, the former Test batsman Alastair Campbell, who Allott says has helped bring about noticeable change in the sport.
