When the Indian Cricket League emerged as an unsanctioned competition, there was gnashing of teeth, frothing at the mouth, voodoo dolls at the ready and an almighty hue and cry from cricket administrators screaming about the dangerous monster that is cricket that has not been endorsed by the BCCI and the ICC.

At the time, back in August 2007, the ICL was heavily criticised as an agent attacking the fabric of cricket, and its financial lures were derided as blood money only to be taken by international cricket’s player mercenaries.

NZC boss Justin Vaughan was quoted as saying: “Events such as the ICL could have the potential to compete with official international events and erode their value. Added to this, the proposed rebel league is scheduled to directly conflict with the [New Zealand] tour to South Africa as well as the start of our domestic season.”

How ironic, then, that it was never the shambolic ICL that threatened the weave of the game. As NZ Cricket Players’ Association boss Heath Mills predicted at the time, it was always the “official” BCCI-endorsed Indian Premier League behemoth that had the most potential to disrupt the primacy of international cricket.

It is the IPL and its ilk that are now competing with official international events and threatening to erode value. If the reports in the Sunday Star-Times are to be believed, the Indian domestic tournament and its clones, little brothers, and off-shoots are most likely to lure the players away from the black cap - and these players and the international cricket that they play are the geese that lay NZC’s golden eggs.

The NZC chief executive also said at the time: “We depend upon the value of the media rights associated with official international events to provide a majority of our income. It is therefore in the best interests of New Zealand Cricket not to support unofficial events such as the ICL.” But the ICC, and NZC, share of revenue from these domestic events is minuscule. They might be official but they are much smaller money-spinners for NZC than the status quo: a strong NZ side that other teams want to play, complete with highly recognisable players that the Read more…

Administrator New Zealand BCCI, Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Heath Mills, ICC, icl, IPL, Justin Vaughan, New Zealand, NZC, South Africa, T20

As someone who played with Shane Bond in his first four tests eight years ago, I was delighted, and pleasantly surprised, by his return to the five-day game at Dunedin last week.

But his latest injury, which has put him out of the current test in Wellington and next week’s third match against Pakistan in Napier, leaves me wondering how long this comeback will last.

The strong suspicion is that his test days are numbered. My advice would be to turn his attention to the one-day game.

The quality of his bowling in Dunedin was no surprise. We’ve long known he has the ability to be among the very best, as a record of 87 wickets in 18 tests shows.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf, a terrific batsman who has seen the best of the modern game, puts him among the finest he’s played.

The aspect which did surprise me was his pace. He’s 34, has been through the wringer in terms of injuries, and yet he was still able to get the ball through at about 150km/h.

If you’re above 140km/h you’re lively; touch 150km/h and that puts you in a different league.

Bond’s performance in its own right was outstanding, but one point seemed to be missed by most commentators - his work created opportunities for the bowlers at the other end.

Take the eight wickets out of the equation for a moment.

If you watched the Pakistan batsmen, Bond’s presence and pace made them change their game plan.

When he was bowling they were all pretty keen to get to the other end.

They were noticeably more aggressive against the other bowlers, which in turn meant they took more liberties against Chris Martin, Iain O’Brien and Daniel Vettori, and that led to Read more…

Administrator New Zealand Blogs.CMDN.com, Chris Martin, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Vettori, Dunedin, Iain O'Brien, Mohammad Yousuf, Napier, New Zealand, Pakistan, Shane Bond, Wellington

Given it’s the time of year for messages to the North Pole under the heading “Dear Santa”, maybe the Black Caps’ list should start with the urgent need for an off-field boss.

With the 32-run win over Pakistan, the first in more than a year, the team are on the cusp of returning to a semblance of success on the stage all good sides are measured - test matches.

The return of Shane Bond’s venom, the wilyness of Chris Martin, the crisp strokes of Ross Taylor and the all-round cunning of Daniel Vettori mean the team have incumbent talent. Vettori was delighted with the victory and with good reason.

But, even though the win was a good one, with character and doggedness, let’s wait before we give ourselves totally over to the illusion of a rosy future.

There are severe deficiencies, particularly in the batting. Can Daniel Flynn make it as a No3, averaging 21.50 in the position since his promising start of 95 against the West Indies a year ago?

Will New Zealand be able to return to an era where Flynn doesn’t have to think about striding out to bat when the ball is still brand new - having only touched the pitch, the stumps or the edge of a bat and a member of the slip cordon’s hands - due to a lapse in an opener’s concentration? Is Jesse Ryder, a man blessed with sensational hand-eye co-ordination, capable of a prolonged career or will a lack of fitness or discipline get the better of him?

There was enough in the dismissals of batsmen like Flynn, Grant Elliott, Peter Fulton, and even Taylor and Vettori himself to suggest that more help would not go amiss.

In Vettori’s era as skipper, with coaches John Bracewell and Andy Moles, there have been 22 tests with five wins - three against Bangladesh, one against England and yesterday’s Read more…

Administrator New Zealand Aaron Redmond, Andy Moles, Blogs.CMDN.com, Chris Martin, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Flynn, Daniel Vettori, David Trist, Denis Aberhart, Grant Elliott, John Bracewell, John Graham, McCullum, Neil Broom, New Zealand, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Stephen Fleming, Steve Rixon, Vettori

Wasim Akram gives M D Crowe a verbal high-five: “I have bowled to both Tendulkar and Lara and I have found Lara more attacking. Tendulkar has a tighter technique, no doubt, but Lara can single-handedly win the game for his team…If you are asking me who the best batsman I have bowled to is, then it’s not Tendulkar and not Lara as well. It’s Martin Crowe… he was an amazing batsman.” Hogan, you rule - no wonder I had your Test run aggregate as my PIN number for a decade. Back in 1990, Crowe was forced to add a grille to his safety armoury for the first time in his career as he faced Waqar and Wasim on their bottle-cap infested patch. He did OK though, with the highlight being an epic 554-minute 108 at Lahore. Crowe has scored more runs than any other NZ batsman against Pakistan.

Coney and Chatfield in Dunedin, 1985: In one of the nation’s most thrilling Test matches, 278 was the target and the six-and-a-bit finest hours of Jeremy Coney were upon us. Self-confessed curmudgeon Ian David Stockley Smith departed and at 217/7 it was all but over, even before Cairns was KO’d by Wasim Akram to effectively make it 217/8. The recalled Bracewell B was back in the pavilion 11 runs later, and NZ still needed 50 to win with the most notorious batsman in NZ cricket history wandering meekly to the crease: E J Chatfield in the world’s baggiest vest. By tea, seven had been crossed off. In the final session, Coney was dropped on 97 from the first ball and the tone was set. As the Wisden Almanac described: “Chatfield showed such willingness to take the strike that in their unbroken, match-winning stand of 50 he had 84 balls to Coney’s 48. Coney reached his second Test century and Chatfield made his best Test score, his runs being almost outnumbered by his bruises.” Legends.

Thomson and Young mow down 324: This was a face-saving win for New Zealand having already lost the Test series. Blonde-maned horse-lover Shane Thomson joined grocer and wicketkeeper-cum-opener Bryan Young with NZ teetering at 4/133. Crucially, Mark Greatbatch and Andrew Jones were back in the dressing room. But the two ND team-mates set about forging one of the most memorable partnerships in NZ Test cricket history, hitting maiden tons, and leading the charge to a brilliant win. It also gave anorak wearers the country over a mouth-watering record: NZ’s highest-ever fourth-innings total to win a Test. (It is a travesty that the efforts of these two players in compiling this magnificent partnership have since been undermined by allegations against players of dubious repute. The Commission of Inquiry’s report here makes Read more…

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Well, let’s kick this off with a bit of a catch up. I’ve been back in New Zealand for about three weeks. I’ve really enjoyed being back, catching up with friends and actually being able to get into the gym to build some strength as opposed to just doing ‘maintenance’ work. In saying that, I was very disappointed to not go to the UAE for the one-day and Twenty20 series. Still, I’ve made the best of a situation I wasn’t too happy with.

So far I’ve played one 'Plunket Shield' (four-day domestic competition) for Wellington and this last week played for a New Zealand Invitation team vs Pakistan. I’ve been really happy with how I’ve gone. The match for Wellington we drew against Canterbury. We had a very good chance to win it but just couldn’t break a very good partnership. I only took one second-innings wicket when we were trying to bowl them out; disappointed with that but I’ll add it to the five I got in the first innings and I walk away from that match happy with my form, my health, my strength, my pace (especially) and how I kept my energies throughout the match. I really felt good throughout this match. Pace was good, probably the quickest I have bowled for an entire match and I got through some overs! Read more...

Iain O'Brien New Zealand Blogs.CMDN.com, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, New Zealand, Twenty20, UAE

The New Zealand cricket team retrieved some ground but still made complete goats of themselves with that first up result in Abu Dhabi.

The players led the charge to get rid of the coach and then copped one of their worst losses of recent times.

Andy Moles wouldn’t have made any difference had he been there but that’s not the point.

Hasn’t the time come when this power of the players was reined in by their employers, or at least harnessed until there was some semblance of consistency about the team’s results?

The way the show is being run at the moment, Daniel Vettori is, by some distance, the most powerful man in New Zealand cricket.

I’ve followed the game and its history in this country most of my life and I doubt there’s ever been a time since the New Zealand Cricket Council was formed in December 1894 when a player held as much influence on the field, at head office and around the board table.

Vettori is undoubtedly the best player in the country and in a team that can only be regarded as dreadful under-performers, he wields huge influence simply by virtue of his on-field deeds.

Even some of the great New Zealand players and personalities of generations past - like Tom Lowry, captain for the first two tours of England, and manager too for the second in 1931, or John R Reid, captain, star all-rounder, national selector, and de facto coach from 1958 to 1965 - never seemed to pull as many strings as Vettori does today.

Ironically New Zealand’s best teams - those with Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe at their peak between 1985 and 1990 - had so many good players that no individual was able to Read more…

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What is the difference between Daniel Vettori and Brian Tamaki? The Black Caps do not bow when they approach Vettori . . . yet.

Whether it is by circumstance or Machiavellian design, the left-arm spinner has acquired enough power to dim the environmentally friendly and energy-efficient lights over Seddon Park.

He’s now a selector, the stand-in coach, the captain, a leading bowler and one of our best batsmen.

With former coach Andy Moles dispatched, Vettori’s grip on the reins is complete.

Even Brendon McCullum’s voice in the dressing rooms has been muted by his public demotion from the vice-captaincy.

The cricket community and the media seemed to be in unison over Moles’ departure.

No-one, it appeared, was willing to suggest a mutiny had taken place or player power was getting out of hand.

Less than a year into his three-year contract, former Warwickshire opener Moles walked the plank with barely a squeak - no doubt silenced, to an extent, by the size of his pay-out.

Before splashdown he meekly complained about not being given the time to improve, and he rejected the perception he was ill-equipped to take the national side forward.

Given he got the job only when several higher-profile candidates withdrew, criticism was directed at New Zealand Cricket for rushing into the appointment.

Moles’ fate had been sealed by a poor report card on which the country’s leading players questioned whether he was up to the task.

Some of the same players flexed their muscle earlier in the year, when they delayed signing their national contracts until they had clarity around whether the inbound Australian tour Read more…

Administrator New Zealand Andy Moles, Australia, Bangladesh, Black Caps, Blogs.CMDN.com, Brendon McCullum, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Vettori, IPL, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Kyle Mills, Machiavellian, Martin Crowe, Pakistan, Ross Taylor, Stephen Fleming, Vaughan, Warwickshire

Memo: New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan.

Re: New Zealand cricket coach.

How about getting John Wright associated with the New Zealand cricket team in some capacity during the home three-test series against Pakistan in November and December.

There has been a lot of tip-toeing around the issue of whether Wright wants to be involved. Has he expressed official interest and does he want the arduous grind of overseas travel again?

But there is no formal coach at present, and having Wright involved – he is on the NZC staff payroll after all – would be a good way of testing the waters for the players and the prospective coach.

This way, Wright could get a feel for the team and the environment and see if they could work together on a longer-term basis, and vice versa.

Goodness knows, sitting at seventh on the world test table, we need as much expertise as we can muster, especially with the Black Caps’ vulnerable top-order lineup. That is where former gritty left-hander Wright, with his knowledge of top-order batting, is invaluable.

Wright probably has reservations about wanting to join the Black Caps after what happened to previous coach Andy Moles and having been involved with the panel that appointed him.

He comes from the 1980s playing era when things were done differently and all the latter-day gadgets and gimmicks had not been developed. Being from the old school may not please everybody from the modern era.

But Wright knows plenty about the bottom line, crease occupation, and is passionate Read more…

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What to do with Brendon McCullum? Here is a capable cricketer if you go by statistics; a brilliant cricketer if you’d rather watch the highlights.

He’s been on the scene for seven years now, his selection is unquestioned, he’s senior and, for all intents and purposes, the next in line to the captaincy.

Yet for some reason, he’s been cast into some sort of no-man’s land, with question marks over his performance as a player and leader.

We hear he will deputise for Daniel Vettori should Vettori get injured and yet he will no longer be officially regarded as the vice-captain.

He will continue to open in the United Arab Emirates but, arguably, only because any other options are deemed to be too inexperienced to be paired together.

There is no doubt the disestablishment of the vice-captaincy is designed as a kick in the posterior for McCullum but how hard a kick is it?

The official line is that because of poor recent results, he has been relieved of senior responsibilities.

This will reduce the load and allow him to concentrate on his batting at the top of the order.

If that is the case, then it is his second warning, given he has had the wicketkeeping gloves taken from him in recent history for the same reason.

However, that decision sounded as if it was a bit more mutual than the latest one.

Of more concern is the reported insinuation that his demotion is because his Read more…

Administrator New Zealand Blogs.CMDN.com, Brendon McCullum, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Vettori, Glenn Turner, New Zealand, UAE

Dan Vettori has seldom spoken a truer couple of sentences than he did this week when looking ahead at how New Zealand will settle on a new national coach.

“We just want to sit back and make sure this process is as thorough as possible. We don’t want to be in a similar situation again,” he said.

As New Zealand Cricket begin the search for a replacement for the departed Andy Moles, the first thing they must do is settle on the type of person they want.

Do they want a hands-on operator, armed with skills to pass on to the players, providing a strong hand on the tiller? Or should he be an organiser, a backroom planner who makes sure everything is running smoothly, using specialist coaches for individual player needs, and take some load off Vettori?

The last two coaches, John Bracewell and Moles, came from opposite ends. Neither appeared an entirely happy fit with the players, for various reasons.

So what to do? Where to look?

There is only one candidate in New Zealand who would be considered, former captain and Indian coach John Wright. He has received less than resounding endorsements from both NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan and Vettori, who have talked of the need to find the right fit for Wright, so to speak.

If he is discounted, then it’s overseas NZC must go, and perhaps to swallow a Read more…

Administrator New Zealand Andy Moles, Blogs.CMDN.com, Bob Woolmer, Cricket, Cricket Blogs, Daniel Vettori, Darren Lehmann, Deccan Chargers, Duncan Fletcher, Graham Ford, Greg Shipperd, IPL, John Bracewell, John Wright, Matthew Mott, New Zealand, NZC, Steve Rixon, Tom Moody