Lack L k of f money behind Black Caps failure
IN THE world of sport, the richest teams win. The direct corollary of that is the poorest teams lose. Yes, there’ll always be exceptions but they only highlight the golden rule. Whether it’s the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A or even North American franchises with salary caps, the amount of money behind teams generally dictates fortune. The more they have, the more they win. The less they have, the less they win.
Never has this been more evident, lately, than in international cricket. The ‘‘Big Four’’ of England, Australia, South Africa and India have been raking it in over the past 10-15 years and (not so coincidentally) now dominate all competitions. On the other hand, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have all been struggling. Without the same wealth-creating resources, they’re being left behind.
New Zealand’s torturous firstinnings performance at Newlands the other day was merely symptomatic of that. Some have described it as an aberration, others as worse than expected. With respect, they need to pay more attention. This was like a train wreck waiting to happen. Five consecutive losses last year, second-to-last place on the ICC test rankings; the worst batting line-up in the world – it wasn’t so much a case of if, as when.
Consider this: In the nine tests before the Cape Town debacle, New Zealand’s batting had collapsed horribly on eight occasions. Amongst the most memorable were the loss of eight for 52 against South Africa at Hamilton, and the seven for 26 against India at Hyderabad. Of the 15 innings they completed in this period, only three reached the 300-mark; six expired before the 200 was raised. As bad as the 45 was, it hardly came out of the blue.
The reaction to the embarrassment has been predictable enough; many fans accusing players of lacking courage and pride. The late Geoff Rabone, captain of the 1955 New Zealand side, talked of similar nonsense when his side was bowled out for 26 by England. He railed at those who called his team a disgrace. ‘‘Everyone gave their all, and we were out-gunned on the day,’’ he said. ‘‘Everyone tried as hard as they could – how could that be seen as disgraceful?’’ Same goes for the New Zealand players in Cape Town last week. It might have been a witless performance with the bat; incompetent, pathetic even. But anyone who accuses our test players of not giving everything they have; of not showing enough desire or commitment, has a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem. It’s not a motivational issue that restricts our team; it’s a more elementary issue of dollars and cents.
Put it this way. While the Big Four test playing nations generate annual revenues of more than $250 million apiece, each of the Tiny Six teams exists on about a fifth of that. The disparity manifests itself in key areas: the Big Four can invest more in the development and emerging player categories, into coaching, fitness and facilities. As a result, they not only cultivate greater player depth, they shrink the gap between the domestic and international tiers.
Worryingly, there’s no sign of a light at the end of the tunnel. India, Australia and South Africa own the lucrative T20 Champions League and can be relied on to promote it fiercely for their own financial gain. Add the many bilateral series these teams (and England) arrange between themselves and the gap between the ‘‘haves’’ and the ‘‘have nots’’ can only grow bigger. That is, the richest teams will win even more; the others even less.
The irony is, while the Big Four continue to dominate on the playing fields and in the ICC boardroom, they appear oblivious to the dangers of such an imbalance of resources. Doesn’t seem to occur to them that world cricket needs a strong New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies, every bit as much as an India, Australia, England and South Africa. That, at a time they’re talking about growing the game, they’re actively shrinking it at the highest level.
Rabone’s comments from 58 years ago still ring true today. It was many things, that innings in Cape Town, but it wasn’t a disgrace and the players need not feel ashamed. They gave their guts and were found wanting, end of story. That happens in sport. What is a disgrace, however, is that the ICC Big Four continue to watch on, busily look after their own, and do nothing.