Cricket in New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Cricket
is a popular sport in New Zealand
, which is one of the ten countries that take part in Test match cricket. Cricket is the national and most popular summer sport, second only in total sporting popularity to rugby
.
The national competition is not nearly as widely followed as the case with rugby, but international matches are watched with interest by a large proportion of the population. This parallels the global situation in cricket, whereby the international game is more widely followed than the domestic game in all major cricketing countries.
and Britain
and Australia
in 2007 and other nations; the next World Cup is scheduled for 2011. Cricket has been taught as a college course.
, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional cricket
in New Zealand
. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand.
New Zealand Cricket operates the New Zealand cricket team
, organising Test tours
and One Day Internationals with other nations. It also organises domestic cricket in New Zealand, including the State Championship first-class
competition, the State Shield
domestic one-day competition and The Twenty20
competition
Historically, the national cricket team has not been as successful as the national rugby union team. New Zealand played its first test in 1930 but had to wait until 1956 to win its first test. The national team began to have more success in the 1970s and 1980s. New Zealand's most famous cricketer, the fast bowler Richard Hadlee
who was the first bowler to take 400 wickets in test cricket, played in this era.
Although traditionally New Zealand have had one of the strongest sides they have never progressed past the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup
where they ended up five times, the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games
and the semi-finals of the Pro20 World Championship. However New Zealand's Woman's Cricket Team has reached the World Cup finals.
Their greatest success in one-day cricket was when they won the 2000 World Cup under captain Emily Drumm. In a hotly contested final, they scored 184 to narrowly beat Australia by four runs, Australia being all out for 180
, former NZ opening batsman, was appointed acting high performance manager for NZC in November 2007.
New Zealand has many private cricket academies and the Bracewell Cricket Academy based at Rathkeale College is one of the largest cricket academies, providing an Overseas Cricket Development Programme, a Pre-Season Coaching Camp, a Festival of Cricket.
There are around 100,000 registered cricketers in New Zealand. By way of comparison, Australia and the UK have around 500,000 each.
According to Mark O'Neill, New Zealand's batting coach from 2007–09, the competition at club level in NZ is nowhere near as intense as in Australia.
New Zealand Cricket derives most of its revenue from the sale of 2 types of broadcasting rights.
Host nations pick up all the expenses of touring teams, but get sole access to all broadcast rights and gate receipts.
In November 2007 it was announced that NZC had made a 5-year deal for the broadcasting rights to home internationals for NZ$65.4m with Sony Entertainment Television
. The previous four-year deal between NZC and ESPN-Star was for only NZ$14.4m. Part of the 5-fold increase in value is due to the Indian team's tour of NZ in 2009.
Immediately prior to the 2009 Indian tour of NZ the Sunday Star Times reported that "NZ Cricket hits $25m jackpot".
The article claimed that NZ Cricket will get $1 million for each of the 22 days the Indians take the field and that NZ Cricket had insured against loss of income for the sale of TV rights due to bad weather. NZC boss Justin Vaughan
also said that a tour by India generates "many times" more income than tours by Australia
, South Africa
and England
and that the Indian tour was worth more to NZC than the payout from the Cricket World Cup
, which was around $20m.
The article also states that over the past two years, NZC's income has been around $30m, but this year (2009) Vaughan is hoping to get more than $40 million from broadcast rights, sponsorship and ticket sales.
In 2007, the ICC sold the rights to broadcast the World Cup, the Champions Trophy
and the ICC World Twenty20
to ESPN Star Sports
until 2015 for US$1 billion. NZC will receive a slice of that.
Currently, the top-ranked cricketer, which is likely to be Vettori, earns $174,000 as a basic retainer. This figure decreases in increments of $6000 and players ranked 18-20 now each receive $72,000. Dan Vettori also gets a $40,000-$50,000 captains fee. Players also get match fees of $7325 per test, $3175 per ODI and $2075 per Twenty20 match. On average, they play 10 tests, 25-30 one-day games and around 10 Twenty20 matches a year. There is also prize money for winning games.
The latest pay scales are substantially higher than the old scales. Before the latest deal the No 1-ranked player received a retainer of NZ$128,000. The retainers dropped by NZ$5000 for each ranking until No 17-20, who each received a retainer of NZ$48,000. Players used to receive NZ$6000 per test, NZ$2500 per one-day international and NZ$1500 for a Twenty20 international.
Players such as Vettori, McCullum and Ross Taylor will play in virtually all of NZ's matches. So the top four or five players get between $300,000 and $400,000 from New Zealand Cricket, the next five or six between $180,000 and $300,000.
In addition, the Indian Premier League
has signed up five New Zealanders for the folowng amounts: Stephen Fleming NZ$350,000, Daniel Vettori US$625,000, Jacob Oram US$675,000, Brendon McCullum US$700,000 and Scott Styris US$175,000 for a couple of months cricket.
As a result of the new 5-year deal and IPL income, top NZ cricketers are earning more than All Blacks
Top-tier NZRU players are paid around NZ$500,000 per year by the NZRU.
Dan Carter, the most valuable New Zealand rugby player, is estimated to be between $700,000 and $900,000 a year (including endorsements). McCullum, the highest paid cricketer, is estimated to be earning between $1 million and $1.5 million yearly, which includes IPL payments.
have been effectively "banned" from ever playing for NZ again. This of course assumes that they are available for selection. Chris Cairns for one, retired at a Twenty20 match against the West Indies in 2006.
Justin Vaughan
former NZ Cricket CEO, perhaps with one eye on the legal ramifications, does not use the "b" word but prefers terms such as; "the selectors will be encouraged to consider other players", or "overlooked for selection". It also appears that the players will not be able to hold a contract from their provinces but will be allowed to play on a game by game basis.
In January, 2008 it was announced that Shane Bond
had signed a US$800,000 a year contract to play for the ICL for 3 years . Bond's agent Leanne McGoldrick said that Bond intended to honour his contract with NZ cricket until May 2008. However, NZC will "overlook Bond for selection" because all members of the International Cricket Council
have agreed not to pick players who have signed for the rebel leagues. NZC will not jeopardise its relationship with the ICC, as it relies heavily on them for funding.
This put Bond and NZC in a precarious position, as prior to signing his ICL contract, he had been given permission to play in the ICL by NZC (believing they were not contravening ICC rules) while still able to play in New Zealand international games. Bond chose not to press the issue, deciding to play solely in the ICL.
In September 1977, Tony Greig
, Mike Procter
and John Snow
with support from Kerry Packer
contested the bans they had been subjected to by the TCCB for playing in World Series Cricket
in the English high court. The court ruled that the bans were a restraint of trade
and therefore illegal.
On January 29, 2008, the New Zealand Herald stated that Bond, who wants to play in the upcoming series against England, and NZ Cricket was released from his NZC contract and will not be chosen on a game-by-game basis. Bond appears to have given up on legal action for restraint of trade.
Heath Mills, the executive manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), was not so conciliatory. He accused NZC of acting to appease the Indian board (BCCI). Mills described the ICC operating manual regulation that purports to not allow [ICC members] to release players to participate in non-sanctioned events as restraint of trade.
Mills also said :
In any event, Bond himself has said that due to the risk of injury he no longer wants to play test cricket for NZ.
Due to the financial problems as a result of the 2008 'credit crunch', the ICL
has cancelled part of its schedule, and offered to release the New Zealand players from their contracts, some of whom have not been paid for several months. If this were realised, the 'ban' on ICL players in ICC-affiliated domestic and international competitions would be lifted, leaving them free to sign contracts with ICC-affiliated sides.
Hopefully now, players are returning to official cricket, like Shane Bond
and Daryl Tuffey
.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is a popular sport in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, which is one of the ten countries that take part in Test match cricket. Cricket is the national and most popular summer sport, second only in total sporting popularity to rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
.
The national competition is not nearly as widely followed as the case with rugby, but international matches are watched with interest by a large proportion of the population. This parallels the global situation in cricket, whereby the international game is more widely followed than the domestic game in all major cricketing countries.
History
Cricket has been played at least 100 years in New Zealand. There is competition within New Zealand to win the John Drake Boot, a newly minted trophy with a silver shoe with cleats worn by the star cricket player in the 1987 World Cup Final. New Zealand cricket teams compete internationally. New Zealand competed in World Cup cricket competitions with teams from South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 2007 and other nations; the next World Cup is scheduled for 2011. Cricket has been taught as a college course.
Governing body
New Zealand CricketNew Zealand Cricket
New Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand....
, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand.
Domestic competition
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
, organising Test tours
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and One Day Internationals with other nations. It also organises domestic cricket in New Zealand, including the State Championship first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
competition, the State Shield
State Shield
The New Zealand limited-overs cricket trophy is the main domestic List A limited overs cricket competition in New Zealand. Previous sponsor State Insurance did not renew naming rights in 2009, resulting in the competition being renamed the New Zealand Cricket one-day competition...
domestic one-day competition and The Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
competition
Teams
New Zealand Cricket involves the following first-class teams:- Auckland AcesAuckland AcesThe Auckland domestic cricket team represent the Auckland region and are one of six New Zealand domestic first class cricket teams. Governed by the Auckland Cricket Association they are the most successful side having won 26 Plunket Shield titles, eight Domestic One Day Championships and the HRV...
- Canterbury WizardsCanterbury WizardsThe Canterbury Wizards are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is one of six teams that make up New Zealand Cricket and has been the most successful domestic team in New Zealand history...
- Central Districts StagsCentral Districts StagsThe Central Districts Stags are a New Zealand first class cricket team based in central New Zealand. It competes in the State Championship first class competition and the State Shield domestic one day competition...
- Northern Districts KnightsNorthern Districts KnightsThe Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights are one of six New Zealand first class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
- Otago VoltsOtago VoltsThe Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
- Wellington FirebirdsWellington FirebirdsThe Wellington Firebirds are one of six New Zealand first-class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in Wellington. It competes in the State Championship first class competition, the State Shield domestic one day competition and the State Twenty20 Cricket Tournament.The...
Men's team
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
who was the first bowler to take 400 wickets in test cricket, played in this era.
Although traditionally New Zealand have had one of the strongest sides they have never progressed past the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
where they ended up five times, the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
and the semi-finals of the Pro20 World Championship. However New Zealand's Woman's Cricket Team has reached the World Cup finals.
Women's team
The New Zealand women's cricket team[1] played their first Test match in 1935, when they lost to England. Since then they have only won two Tests, once against Australia, and once against South Africa.Their greatest success in one-day cricket was when they won the 2000 World Cup under captain Emily Drumm. In a hotly contested final, they scored 184 to narrowly beat Australia by four runs, Australia being all out for 180
Cricket development
New Zealand Cricket has established High Performance Cricket training centre based at Lincoln University. It also operates a grassroots development programme for school children called 'MILO Kiwi Cricket' . John WrightJohn Wright (cricketer)
John Geoffrey Wright is a former international cricketer representing - and captaining - New Zealand, and, following his retirement in 1993, coaching the Indian national cricket team from 2000 to 2005. He made his international debut in 1978 against England...
, former NZ opening batsman, was appointed acting high performance manager for NZC in November 2007.
New Zealand has many private cricket academies and the Bracewell Cricket Academy based at Rathkeale College is one of the largest cricket academies, providing an Overseas Cricket Development Programme, a Pre-Season Coaching Camp, a Festival of Cricket.
There are around 100,000 registered cricketers in New Zealand. By way of comparison, Australia and the UK have around 500,000 each.
According to Mark O'Neill, New Zealand's batting coach from 2007–09, the competition at club level in NZ is nowhere near as intense as in Australia.
"In Sydney there are 20 first grade teams, each club has five grades. To get to first grade you've got to be a friggin' good player and once you get there the competition is very, very fierce. Unfortunately it's not the same standard [in NZ]. Competition is everything and the only way the New Zealand guys are going to get that is to play the world's best players."
Funding
- Broadcasting rights to home internationals.
- A share of the broadcasting rights the ICC sells to its tournaments, such as the World Cup.
Host nations pick up all the expenses of touring teams, but get sole access to all broadcast rights and gate receipts.
In November 2007 it was announced that NZC had made a 5-year deal for the broadcasting rights to home internationals for NZ$65.4m with Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television is a series of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. At least 9 International versions of this channel exist:*Sony Entertainment Television Asia...
. The previous four-year deal between NZC and ESPN-Star was for only NZ$14.4m. Part of the 5-fold increase in value is due to the Indian team's tour of NZ in 2009.
Immediately prior to the 2009 Indian tour of NZ the Sunday Star Times reported that "NZ Cricket hits $25m jackpot".
The article claimed that NZ Cricket will get $1 million for each of the 22 days the Indians take the field and that NZ Cricket had insured against loss of income for the sale of TV rights due to bad weather. NZC boss Justin Vaughan
Justin Vaughan
Justin Thomas Caldwell Vaughan played 6 Tests and 18 One Day Internationals and is a doctor of medicine. In April 2007 he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket and commenced in that position on 5 June 2007, taking over from Martin Snedden...
also said that a tour by India generates "many times" more income than tours by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and that the Indian tour was worth more to NZC than the payout from the Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
, which was around $20m.
The article also states that over the past two years, NZC's income has been around $30m, but this year (2009) Vaughan is hoping to get more than $40 million from broadcast rights, sponsorship and ticket sales.
In 2007, the ICC sold the rights to broadcast the World Cup, the Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
and the ICC World Twenty20
ICC World Twenty20
The ICC World Twenty20 or ICC World T20 also referred to as the T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council...
to ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation...
until 2015 for US$1 billion. NZC will receive a slice of that.
Player income
Twenty five per cent of NZC's revenue goes to pay player salaries.Currently, the top-ranked cricketer, which is likely to be Vettori, earns $174,000 as a basic retainer. This figure decreases in increments of $6000 and players ranked 18-20 now each receive $72,000. Dan Vettori also gets a $40,000-$50,000 captains fee. Players also get match fees of $7325 per test, $3175 per ODI and $2075 per Twenty20 match. On average, they play 10 tests, 25-30 one-day games and around 10 Twenty20 matches a year. There is also prize money for winning games.
The latest pay scales are substantially higher than the old scales. Before the latest deal the No 1-ranked player received a retainer of NZ$128,000. The retainers dropped by NZ$5000 for each ranking until No 17-20, who each received a retainer of NZ$48,000. Players used to receive NZ$6000 per test, NZ$2500 per one-day international and NZ$1500 for a Twenty20 international.
Players such as Vettori, McCullum and Ross Taylor will play in virtually all of NZ's matches. So the top four or five players get between $300,000 and $400,000 from New Zealand Cricket, the next five or six between $180,000 and $300,000.
In addition, the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
has signed up five New Zealanders for the folowng amounts: Stephen Fleming NZ$350,000, Daniel Vettori US$625,000, Jacob Oram US$675,000, Brendon McCullum US$700,000 and Scott Styris US$175,000 for a couple of months cricket.
As a result of the new 5-year deal and IPL income, top NZ cricketers are earning more than All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
Top-tier NZRU players are paid around NZ$500,000 per year by the NZRU.
Dan Carter, the most valuable New Zealand rugby player, is estimated to be between $700,000 and $900,000 a year (including endorsements). McCullum, the highest paid cricketer, is estimated to be earning between $1 million and $1.5 million yearly, which includes IPL payments.
"Banned" Players
Former Black Caps Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle, Chris Harris, Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall, Lou Vincent and Darryl Tuffey who recently played in the "rebel" Indian Cricket LeagueIndian Cricket League
The Indian Cricket League was a private cricket league funded by Zee Entertainment Enterprises that operated between 2007 and 2009 in India...
have been effectively "banned" from ever playing for NZ again. This of course assumes that they are available for selection. Chris Cairns for one, retired at a Twenty20 match against the West Indies in 2006.
Justin Vaughan
Justin Vaughan
Justin Thomas Caldwell Vaughan played 6 Tests and 18 One Day Internationals and is a doctor of medicine. In April 2007 he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket and commenced in that position on 5 June 2007, taking over from Martin Snedden...
former NZ Cricket CEO, perhaps with one eye on the legal ramifications, does not use the "b" word but prefers terms such as; "the selectors will be encouraged to consider other players", or "overlooked for selection". It also appears that the players will not be able to hold a contract from their provinces but will be allowed to play on a game by game basis.
In January, 2008 it was announced that Shane Bond
Shane Bond
Shane Edward Bond was a New Zealand cricketer, described as "New Zealand's best fast bowler since Sir Richard Hadlee". He has represented New Zealand in Test, ODI and Twenty20 International cricket as well as playing for Canterbury in New Zealand domestic cricket and Warwickshire in English...
had signed a US$800,000 a year contract to play for the ICL for 3 years . Bond's agent Leanne McGoldrick said that Bond intended to honour his contract with NZ cricket until May 2008. However, NZC will "overlook Bond for selection" because all members of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
have agreed not to pick players who have signed for the rebel leagues. NZC will not jeopardise its relationship with the ICC, as it relies heavily on them for funding.
This put Bond and NZC in a precarious position, as prior to signing his ICL contract, he had been given permission to play in the ICL by NZC (believing they were not contravening ICC rules) while still able to play in New Zealand international games. Bond chose not to press the issue, deciding to play solely in the ICL.
In September 1977, Tony Greig
Tony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
, Mike Procter
Mike Procter
Michael John Procter is a former South African cricketer. A fast bowler and hard hitting batsman, his chances for a long and productive test career were wrecked by South Africa's banishment from world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s...
and John Snow
John Snow (cricketer)
John Augustine Snow played cricket for Sussex and England in the 1960s and 1970s. Despite being the son of a country vicar and publishing two volumes of poetry Snow was England's most formidable fast bowler between Fred Trueman and Bob Willis and played Test Matches with both of them at either end...
with support from Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
contested the bans they had been subjected to by the TCCB for playing in World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket
World Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
in the English high court. The court ruled that the bans were a restraint of trade
Restraint of trade
Restraint of trade is a common law doctrine relating to the enforceability of contractual restrictions on freedom to conduct business. In an old leading case of Mitchell v Reynolds Lord Smith LC said,...
and therefore illegal.
On January 29, 2008, the New Zealand Herald stated that Bond, who wants to play in the upcoming series against England, and NZ Cricket was released from his NZC contract and will not be chosen on a game-by-game basis. Bond appears to have given up on legal action for restraint of trade.
Heath Mills, the executive manager of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), was not so conciliatory. He accused NZC of acting to appease the Indian board (BCCI). Mills described the ICC operating manual regulation that purports to not allow [ICC members] to release players to participate in non-sanctioned events as restraint of trade.
Mills also said :
"The NZCPA fully understands the position NZC has found itself and we do not want them to damage relationships with the BCCI and other ICC members. However, pressure to preserve these relationships should not be placed above preserving New Zealand's right to select its best players to represent the Black Caps, the rights and aspirations of New Zealand citizens to represent their country and the legal rights of players under their signed playing contracts.
Given the issues Bond has decided to stand aside from international cricket at NZC's request. The NZCPA supports this decision as it enables him to preserve a strong relationship with the board of NZC in the hope that he can again contribute to the game in New Zealand at some stage in the future. However, this is not a decision that he was compelled to make and under our contract system negotiated with NZC it remains open for any player to play for a third party like the ICL and still remain contracted to and play for NZC.
It is this situation that leaves the NZCPA concerned for cricket in New Zealand. We urge the ICC to step in and attempt to influence this situation and find a way to manage third party investment in our sport before we lose more players both here and around the world, and international cricket has been damaged further. History has shown that professional sports cannot afford to become split. It is absolutely vital that international cricket remains the pinnacle of the sport and that we ensure the best players are playing."
In any event, Bond himself has said that due to the risk of injury he no longer wants to play test cricket for NZ.
Due to the financial problems as a result of the 2008 'credit crunch', the ICL
ICL
-Companies and organizations:* ICL, the ICAO airline code for CAL Cargo Air Lines* International Computers Limited, a British computer hardware and services company, now known as Fujitsu Services...
has cancelled part of its schedule, and offered to release the New Zealand players from their contracts, some of whom have not been paid for several months. If this were realised, the 'ban' on ICL players in ICC-affiliated domestic and international competitions would be lifted, leaving them free to sign contracts with ICC-affiliated sides.
Hopefully now, players are returning to official cricket, like Shane Bond
Shane Bond
Shane Edward Bond was a New Zealand cricketer, described as "New Zealand's best fast bowler since Sir Richard Hadlee". He has represented New Zealand in Test, ODI and Twenty20 International cricket as well as playing for Canterbury in New Zealand domestic cricket and Warwickshire in English...
and Daryl Tuffey
Daryl Tuffey
Daryl Raymond Tuffey is a New Zealand cricketer who has represented New Zealand at Test and ODI level, and plays domestic first class cricket for Northern Districts Knights. He is playfully known as Daryl "Huffy-Puffy" Tuffey by his Northern Districts team mates due to his heavy breathing when...
.