Join the party: New Zealand needs a Big Bash team
OPINION: New Zealand Cricket need to get in on the Big Bash, and the time is now.
It’s understood Cricket Australia could look at expanding the Big Bash League to 10 teams in the near future, with Canberra and the Gold Coast among the leading contenders to get a franchise.
If the brains trust at NZC could get a New Zealand franchise off the ground, it would be a massive moment for the game in this country.
There are several strands to why this would be beneficial:
Let’s start with the top level of the game, and the impact it would have on our player pool.
With the Black Caps likely hosting tours throughout the summer, the Kiwi Big Bash side would become a virtual NZ A side, mixed with the Black Caps players who miss out.
It would be a development tool, giving the players on the cusp of international cricket the chance to prove themselves at a higher standard than they are used to. You’d still bring in an import, someone who would add something to the group and also draw a crowd.
The question is, would they be fodder for the established Big Bash teams in Australia?
With the way the Super Smash is going this year, with teams and players seeming to show better understanding of what is required in a Twenty20 innings, no, they wouldn’t. Nobody would ever suggest they’ll turn up and dominate, but they would be more than competitive.
So the playing reasons are obvious, but it would also be a chance for NZC to earn muchneeded coin.
In a bigger league, you’d likely
be talking about five or six home matches. While you’d have to base the team in one place, probably Auckland, the home games could be spread around to maximise your potential attendance.
Imagine this: Two games at Eden Park in Auckland, one at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, one at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, one at Hagley Oval in Christchurch and a final game at the Queenstown Events Centre.
If all goes to plan, and you capture the atmosphere and hype the Big Bash has in Australia, the attendance would be huge.
Even if you only sold 80 per cent of tickets, that would be 132,000 people through the gates. Then there is merchandise, TV rights, etc, etc.
You’d be counting your Ernest Rutherfords for weeks. (And there’s an idea for a team name. The Atoms. Small but pack a mighty punch.)
So, you’re developing our best cricketers, engaging the fans and making a ton of cash. So far so good.
Get a women’s BBL side in the mix too, because we certainly have the talent for it, and we really start to cook with gas.
Here’s where things get crazy. What if, with a cash injection, NZ Cricket could host and extra test match or two each summer?
If even one two-match test series expanded to three, cricket fans would rejoice.
Melbourne Stars coach Stephen Fleming and Brisbane Heat coach Daniel Vettori are both keen on a New Zealand team getting in on the Big Bash.
It’s a great place to start when you have two influential coaches on your side, so let’s make it happen.