Around the Wicket - Black Caps and Boycotts

So we’re all geared up for a 2 test series vs Daniel Vettori are we? Honestly – this series could be the death of New Zealand cricket. With a pumped up Aussie side looking to atone for the embarrassment of a 2-0 defeat to India, and New Zealand getting their backsides handed to them by one of the least experienced NSW teams to ever take the park, the series appears very one-sided.

I won’t get to see a whole lot of the series, as my real job (no, this isn’t it) will probably keep me from the TV most days, however, I might be able to sneak in some cricket on Saturday arvo and Sunday. In a way, I’m not all that upset about missing this series. I don’t expect it to be a hard fought, competitive series, and I don’t expect New Zealand to pose a threat to Australia.

That being said, if there is ever one side which seems to lift its game when they play the Aussies, it’s the Black Caps. I don’t know what it is – perhaps they play footage of the underarm incident before every series, and invite Brian McKechnie to be guest speaker? Whatever it is, you’d like to bottle it, and give them a swig before every match they play.

Maybe Brett Lee should bowl underarm for the entire series? You know, just to put a little bit of a rocket up them in the Shaky Isles, and get them interested again. Having said that, Brett Lee bowling overarm hasn’t exactly been a big winner of late. Might I just say that I would not want to be part of the Kiwis top order this series. There is going to be one very angry, very fired up and hostile blond fast bowler. If he gets loose on the Gabba – he may well dismiss the entire Kiwis side. Except for Daniel Vettori – who will probably bat himself at 4, and not be dismissed for the series. Hey, you want some punting advice? Go and put a sly 20 on Daniel Vettori to be NZ’s leading run scorer and wicket taker for the series.

Meanwhile, the media and Cricket Australia are at loggerheads again. CA's policy of imposing limits on the number of updates allowed on the internet is a sticking point with Reuters, AP, and AFP, and there are apparently further issues with restrictions on distributing material to websites not owned or attached to newspapers or sports magazines.

I really don’t know enough about the situation to comment in depth on it, but if most media outlets have signed off on the terms and conditions, then I tend to think that the big 3 agencies (Reuters, Associated Press, and Agence France Presse) may be just trying to see what they can get away with. This whole thing reminds me of union negotiations, with both sides trying to call each other’s bluff. By threatening to boycott the series, the media agencies give the impression that they don’t really care about Joe Punter getting access to cricket coverage, they just care about the dollars they can make covering the cricket. Cricket Australia is obviously trying to protect its own interests as well, so they’re not giving in easily over the dollars.

At the risk of taking sides, good luck to CA. I hope they don’t back down. The more money in their coffers, the more money there is for the game, the players and the umpires in this country. That should always be their no. 1 mission – to protect and grow the game of cricket in Australia. I’m not just talking International cricket either – I’m talking Junee U/ 11’s, St Patricks U/13 B’s, Camberwell Magpies CC, and towns all over Australia, who struggle to keep their clubs alive, and players interested.