The New Zealand Herald

Bask in the glory days of cricket . . . and believe

- Matt Heath comment

What a summer of cricket.

What a time to be a cricket fan. What a time to be alive. How lucky we are to have a team this skilled, balanced and good looking.

New Zealand fans have spent years and years loving our team dearly but knowing in our hearts we were operating in a post-glory days phase. No longer. These are the days. A time far more glorious even than those great 1980s highs. Fourteen months ago I was asked to join the Alternativ­e Commentary Collective.

We have followed the Blacks Caps Estimated height of Vettori’s jump all over the country. Eight smelly dudes, covering 25 games from a small sweaty caravan. We have watched from the boundary in ecstasy, enjoying unpreceden­ted levels of caravan thickness as our team has gone from strength to Vettori jumps strength. Our silly wee broadcast started with zero listeners on January 19, 2014 in Napier, growing exponentia­lly to 600,000 by the time the greatest living ginger Martin Guptill blasted 237 in the weekend.

We owe every ounce of our success to the team we love.

Sir Mike Hesson and his boys have turned tits-up into triumph. Their names are burned into the souls of the nation: Baz, Guppy, Milne, Vettori, Steady the Ship, the Hairy Javelin, the Wonky Donkey, Lovely Trenty, Ross, Souuuuuthe­eeeee, McClenagha­n- Ball travelllin­g at about 90 km/h The ball lands in Vettori’s fingertips Vettori safely on ground, catch made

We owe every ounce of our success to the team we love.

again-again-again, and the ladies’ choice, Corey “Mills and Boon” Anderson. A few weeks ago the ICC banned our little ACC from New Zealand cricket grounds. It hasn’t damaged our passion one bit. As they say “you can’t dampen a fizzing bung”.

Which brings us to this day of days. I’m so nervous I can’t eat, my two young sons are running round and round the house yelling “McCullum, McCullum, McCullum”.

The excitement is almost too much to bear. Once again we hope and pray our team will do the unpreceden­ted. But whatever happens, we fans have years of great cricket to look forward to from a fantastic group of players. This is the golden era. Enjoy every second. “Someone has to win this thing — it might as well be us.”

GO THE BLACK CAPS.

 ?? Pictures: AP, Photosport.co.nz / Herald graphic ??
Pictures: AP, Photosport.co.nz / Herald graphic
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