I woke up this morning to find that the New Zealand had once again lost a game in the Super Over and had crashed out of the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. I am one of the few people in this country who like to see the team do well and it is disappointing to see them not reach their potential. I say this because I believe that half the cricket loving population in this country are not cricket lovers anyway and hope that the team is not successful so that they can say I told you so and go on talkback radio and tell the nation how bad the team is and so and so is a crap player and they should all listen to him because he played 4th grade cricket in Oamaru in the 1950's and knows a thing or to about the game.
I think that New Zealand has some very good players, some of them world class and rather than bagging them we should be supporting them as they have the potential to go deep into these tournaments as well as play some decent test cricket.
Below I have listed some ideas on how the New Zealand cricket team can realise it's potential and how cricket can become a dominant force in the New Zealand sporting landscape again.
1. In 2015, New Zealand are co-hosting the World Cup with Australia. In 1992 these two countries also hosted the same tournament and New Zealand went above all expectations, won their first seven games and hosted the semi-final and lost in the last over. If New Zealand can copy that performance then cricket will become popular again. The numbers playing on Saturday afternoon may not rise but you can bet your house that children's numbers will rise.
2. There are two types of rugby, 15-man rugby and 7-man rugby. New Zealand has two teams, they are completely independent, the players are under contract but don't play in each other's teams. What does happen though is for some of the 7's players they do become stars in 15's rugby. My point is i cricket there are three types of the game, test, 50 over and 20 over. New Zealand needs to separate the two and make specialists. The problem here is that all of the money is in 20 over cricket but I'm willing to bet that test specialists in various countries are paid quite well.
3. I'm not sure of the current regime but I think that the coach shouldn't be a selector. I think that it creates a conflict. Imagine if you were an international batsman and you had a problem with technique and you go to the coach wouldn't he at the next selection meeting bring up that you have a problem with the short ball. This would jeopardise your place in the team.
4. New Zealand cricket needs to encourage people who have been lost to the game like myself, to be coaches, umpires and groundsman. The catch is that people involved in cricket need a lot of time but if it was worth their while then they would stay in the game and the players with proper coaching/umpiring etc would stay with the game too.
5. We have to remember that the New Zealand cricket team will never be as dominant as the All Blacks on the world stage, so maybe we should lower our expectations when New Zealand play on the world stage. Then again we do want the team to do well so maybe our expectations are just.
6. At the moment there are six first class teams in New Zealand's domestic competition. Make it four. Abolish the regional teams and develop four teams that pay around the country. Nobody goes to watch these games anyway and you will get a stronger type of cricket where the best of the rest are going up against the best of the rest.
7. Retain the Hawke Cup competition. This is I believe a natural stepping stone to first class competition. And while we are back on the subject of first class competition the games should have an emphasis n first innings scores, so batsman know that they don't have to score 80 runs in 110 balls, they can bat for two days and set up their team.
8. At the moment the Palmerston North Boys' High School cricket team are in India and in another couple of days they will be winging to South Africa. They will get to experience the conditions of two vastly different cricketing countries. This has to be good for their cricketing education. Can this kind of opportunity be available to more cricketers?
9. Quit test cricket all together and concentrate on limited overs cricket. (I can hear the traditionalists yelling in derision all over the cricket. Another idea is to do the opposites. I hear the losers who call into the talkback radio stations shouting at that one.
10. Do nothing and hope that it will come better. It seems they are doing this already.
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