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…

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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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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…

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If New Zealand were this morning flying to Dubai for their limited-overs series against Pakistan, coach Andy Moles would most likely have been on board.

He might still be, when the squad head to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, depending on the state of negotiations with New Zealand Cricket.

Moles, who is contracted until the end of the 2011 World Cup, effectively became a dead man walking this week amid revelations that there was unease from a variety of quarters over the lack of progress being made under his regime.

The former Warwickshire batsman took charge just under a year ago but NZC have been aware of growing concerns that all was not well for some months.

Moles began talks with NZC yesterday. Last night, the national body issued a one-sentence statement, that it would be making “no further comment today”.

It is understood the process is at a point where the two parties are settling on a number to pay out Moles for the remainder of his contract.

If it is not resolved before Tuesday it is likely that, for legal reasons, Moles would travel to the UAE, with the resolution to be left until the end of that short trip.

There appear to be three options:

Moles walks away with a satisfactory payout, perhaps in the region of $300,000, and a short-term stand-in installed for the five limited-overs internationals against Pakistan.

If a settlement is not reached, Moles goes to the UAE, on a “business as usual” basis.

Or New Zealand could go to UAE with a manager, support staff and the players, Read more…

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New Zealand’s senior players want Andy Moles as their friend but not as their cricket coach.

The affable Englishman has struggled with the transition from taking a first-class side to an international one and patience has run out.

This is not player power, it is a plea for help.

Daniel Vettori’s men are not angels, but neither are they backstabbers. They have voiced their concerns through the correct channels and were not the leak to The Dominion Post.

This team wants to do better but the consensus is it can no longer carry Moles and his sidekick, Mark O’Donnell, along for the ride.

The players’ reviews claim Moles has offered little of substance technically or tactically since replacing John Bracewell 12 months ago.

Bad habits have also been allowed to go unpunished and Vettori has been forced to take up the slack. Vettori is not Superman. Next he’ll be driving the team bus.

The players are not the only ones to have voiced concerns about Moles’ coaching ability. It was uncovered yesterday that NZC’s High Performance Centre and some support staff had also tabled concerns and that NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan was becoming increasingly alarmed.

The situation has parallels with New Zealand rugby league in 2007.

The Kiwis wanted to lift their standards and realised that, in coach Gary Kemble, they did not have the right man in the driver’s seat. Stephen Kearney swept in and a World Cup was won.

Mediation begins today and Moles needs to read the signals. He has the lost the dressing room and, no matter how great his love for the game, he must walk away, albeit Read more…

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Daniel Vettori has emerged from a systems shake-up a more powerful figure in New Zealand cricket since, and possibly including, Stephen Fleming.

For the first time since taking over the captaincy following the 2007 World Cup Vettori can claim, some personnel issues aside, that this is his side.

With coach Andy Moles by design a more peripheral figure than John Bracewell, the onus has been placed on Vettori and his senior team-mates to drag New Zealand out of the massive hole they have dug for themselves in test cricket.

At the forefront of this sea change in philosophy has been Roger Mortimer.

Under the direction of Mortimer, who was pivotal in directing the 2004 Olympic campaigns of Sarah Ulmer and Hamish Carter, the onus has been put on players to map out their own career trajectories. Read more…

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OPINION: Silly us. We’ve been all churned up about the lack of success of our national cricket team when the reason was right under our noses - they simply don’t give a rat’s about playing for their country anymore.

Already a side with a major credibility problem, New Zealand’s top players began digging their own graves at the weekend with the admission through their skipper, Daniel Vettori, that the only time the lads want to pull on the silver fern now is when the Indian Premier League is in recess.

Forget the system that created them, forget loyalty to country and the long-suffering fans, New Zealand’s overhyped and under-performing cricketers are fast becoming an embarrassment to all those that have gone before them.

Brendon McCullum’s name has been to the fore throughout the standoff between the players and New Zealand Cricket because he is the highest-paid Black Cap in the IPL.

McCullum has an IPL contract worth US$700,000 a year, but will get only half of that this time around because New Zealand have a series against Australia in March that overlaps with the IPL. Mind you, haven’t heard too many Australians bemoaning the fact.

The whole cash-over-country debate comes down to personal choice. Does a healthy Read more…

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Sometimes it is hard to know whether to channel the rage or let apathy wash over you.

Last week, when the news emerged that some Black Caps had sought and had been granted extensions before signing the central contracts offered to them by New Zealand Cricket, was one such occasion.

They want some “clarity” around dates for the New Zealand home summer - specifically the much-anticipated tour by Australia. On the surface there’s not much wrong with that but the subtext was fairly obvious - they want to make sure it doesn’t cut across their Indian Premier League commitments.

This is the modern reality, apparently. But think about what’s wrong with this scenario: NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan and his Australian counterpart James Sutherland are being pressured into coming up with an itinerary for what should be a marquee series between transtasman rivals that does not prevent players taking full part in a competition in which teams are owned by Bollywood actors and beer makers. Read more…

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