Cricket gets priority

Cricket trumps maths homework in the Prime Minister's home, John Key has revealed.

Speaking at a parliamentary reception for the Australian cricket team in Wellington last night, Key told guests that he and his son indulged a shared passion last week – and it was not numerical.

"I was in the middle of giving my son some maths tutoring and we reached an agreement that we would stop to watch the last of the one-dayer," Key said.

However, he left the tourists in no doubt regarding who they were cheering for, dismissing a weekend poll that suggested one quarter of Kiwis supported the idea of New Zealand becoming an Australian state.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting justified the parliamentary praise heaped on him by Labour leader Phil Goff.

Ponting had been a great sport in his reaction to a dodgy dismissal last week, Goff said.

Ponting, in reply, was only too happy to give fast-bowler team-mate Mitchell Johnson a ribbing.

"We can't work out why every single person in New Zealand thinks that Mitchell is a banker," Ponting said. "Being a fast bowler, he's not that good with numbers."

Earlier, Key supported the Black Caps over their decision to postpone their June tour to Zimbabwe. "I think they are the responsible actions when you consider the safety and security of the New Zealand players," Key said.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said the Government's Zimbabwe security assessment had not changed from a year ago, when the tour was first postponed.

- © Fairfax NZ News