March 7, 2026 • 6 mins
Fans are feeling hopeful ahead of the Black Caps' highly-anticipated match.
The Black Caps face India tomorrow morning for the T20 World Cup trophy in Ahmedabad.
ACC head Mike Lane joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zby Well.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
In an attempt to boost the ratings of the show,
I've gone to the Alternative Commentary Collective the head of
the ACC, Mike Lane, who has gone to India to
watch the final remarkable dedication. When did you arrive?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I actually arrived in Underbard at about twelve hours ago plenty.
I must admit, given current geopolitical issues going on elsewhere
in the world, it's been quite hard to get here
given the two biggest kind of ports to go through
as Doha and Dubai. So I had to get a
little bit creative. Went through Singapore, Singapore, then over to India.
(00:48):
Got there eventually, bit a little bit weary. But its
final day, mate, it's all go here. They're pretty pumped here,
I can tell you that. And one hundred and thirty
thousand people are going to be rammed into the stadium.
I actually don't know what to expect, to be honest,
that is one massive humanity.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
That absolutely it's an enormous venue. And as you say,
ninety nine of them are going to be wanting India
to do you have you got it? Have you got
a ticket or at least a media pass of some sort.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Look, I've left everything very late, Pony. I must have
my visa came through an hour before I got on
the plane, so that was that was cutting it fine.
Managed to get a ticket. I did manage to get to
get no media pass though. I mean myself in the ICC,
I've got a bit of history, Pony. I don't know.
I won't go into it now, but I don't imagine
they'll be giving me an accreditation anytime soon. So I'm
(01:39):
just going I'm just going in with the with the punters. Jeez,
I don't I actually don't. Like I said, I don't
know what to expect. This is the biggest sports stadium
in the world, which I just read. I was like,
oh my god, So I don't know how early to
get there. Ricky Martin's playing tonight in the closing ceremony,
so that's something can look forward to forever.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Sure, little bit. Absolutely, absolutely, have you even find you
have you even find your seat at one hundred and
thirty thousand seats? Do you don't even know what gates
are going? For goodness sake, I.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Mean, all these things are stretching me out, Pinya, and
the fact that good is a dry state as well,
that is stretching me out too, because any stress I
can't relieve by just having my usual stress reliever. So
it's going to be interesting as well. Have managed to
smuggle in a BoNT of gin. I just need now
to find basically some tonic and some ice that's not
going to make me go out the eye of a
(02:31):
needle at some stage. So I don't know. I'll let
you know. We're going to get back piny about what happens.
But it's all new to me.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
How are you feeling about our chances?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Look, I reckon, it's good. We I'm quietly confident. Look,
I've got a reputation a little bit, pliny I've done
if you know. I've been to three Cricket World Cups
and I've watched the zer and lose all three. So
I need one. I need one here. And I think
India is the team that we that we want to
play because it's you didn't really want a World Cup
until you've beaten India in the final and they don't
(03:04):
have our measure. A lot of teams are untilmidated by India.
We seem to be the one one team that's not.
We tip them up in a lot of competitions where
their bogey team. Pull Forward from the VAC podcast describes
it quite well, where master is masters of the underdoggery
we go, we take that underdog tag and we use
it to our best abilities. And I think if we
(03:25):
win the toss bolt first and then get them out
for under two hundred, game on, pony, absolutely, game on, game.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
On, and if if the stuck of yours was to
be broken and the Black Caps do when the t
twenty Cricket World come sometime in the next fifteen sixteen
hours or so, surely you'll be invited along as one
of the very few Kiwi's on the ground there to
celebrate with the team.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Well yeah, well look hopefully I didn't cover myself in
glory back in twenty so fifteen in Melbourne at a
team after function. I'll talk about it to find a
Cap talk about that on a here that involves them.
It the involves some savory's been thrown around a room
and one certain member of the New Zealand board got hat. Anyway,
that's another story for another time. There is a few
key he's over here bumped into a few on the plane,
(04:10):
so there's a there's a small contingent. When I say
small contingent, I don't think it will break three figures,
but there's throughout the kind of kind of Southeast Asia
and Singapore, I saw loads of people trying to get
desperately get last minute visas and get over here. So
hopefully we can break that dack. And interestingly, if we
win this T twenty World Cup, we're going to have
(04:31):
basically our women's and men's team will be T twenty
World Cup champions and potentially neither of them will be
at the Olympics next year in La. So think about
that for a bit.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
I am. I am going to think about it. But
also if I look, if I had to send any
one of our five and a half million over there
to to be to get in the faces of the
one point four billion Indians who are going to be
buying for our blood, I would choose, well, I think
I would choose you. You cently be in my top
three anyway.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Oh thanks pony, that means that means a lot. I'll
I'll let you know if I form up to my
abilities come Monday. But I'm definitely looking forward to it,
and I'm looking forward to catch up with all the
other TV's out here that have made the effort, because
it certainly is an effort. Even getting out of here
is proving quite an issue because ICC obviously sponsored by
Emirates and they all go via Dubai. Obviously that corridor
(05:24):
is pretty much shut off. So everyone's going back by
Singapore for getting getting home as an issue. I got here,
getting home might be in a shoe, all right.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Well, it's good to know that the weekend sport and
ACC audience is intersect because there's a text here. Who
the hell Let g Lane go to the final man?
He is the worst luck ever. It's time to break
the duck. It's time to break the duck.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Yeah, I am known as grim Lane to a few
of the ACC audience. But need I need to break it, piny,
And anyway I can do it is by watching us
barnstorm to victory in the early hours of tomorrow morning
and bringing home the teacher when he will cup.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Love it, mate, love it. Thanks so much for joining us,
Mike Mike Lane. There Alternative Commentary Collective. They're hosting a
watch along just suits for them on socials, you'll find it.
It's going to be an absolute cracker. Two thirty tomorrow morning,
black Caps for India T twenty Cricket World Cup.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk zby Well.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
In an attempt to boost the ratings of the show,
I've gone to the Alternative Commentary Collective the head of
the ACC, Mike Lane, who has gone to India to
watch the final remarkable dedication. When did you arrive?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
I actually arrived in Underbard at about twelve hours ago plenty.
I must admit, given current geopolitical issues going on elsewhere
in the world, it's been quite hard to get here
given the two biggest kind of ports to go through
as Doha and Dubai. So I had to get a
little bit creative. Went through Singapore, Singapore, then over to India.
(00:48):
Got there eventually, bit a little bit weary. But its
final day, mate, it's all go here. They're pretty pumped here,
I can tell you that. And one hundred and thirty
thousand people are going to be rammed into the stadium.
I actually don't know what to expect, to be honest,
that is one massive humanity.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
That absolutely it's an enormous venue. And as you say,
ninety nine of them are going to be wanting India
to do you have you got it? Have you got
a ticket or at least a media pass of some sort.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Look, I've left everything very late, Pony. I must have
my visa came through an hour before I got on
the plane, so that was that was cutting it fine.
Managed to get a ticket. I did manage to get to
get no media pass though. I mean myself in the ICC,
I've got a bit of history, Pony. I don't know.
I won't go into it now, but I don't imagine
they'll be giving me an accreditation anytime soon. So I'm
(01:39):
just going I'm just going in with the with the punters. Jeez,
I don't I actually don't. Like I said, I don't
know what to expect. This is the biggest sports stadium
in the world, which I just read. I was like,
oh my god, So I don't know how early to
get there. Ricky Martin's playing tonight in the closing ceremony,
so that's something can look forward to forever.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Sure, little bit. Absolutely, absolutely, have you even find you
have you even find your seat at one hundred and
thirty thousand seats? Do you don't even know what gates
are going? For goodness sake, I.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Mean, all these things are stretching me out, Pinya, and
the fact that good is a dry state as well,
that is stretching me out too, because any stress I
can't relieve by just having my usual stress reliever. So
it's going to be interesting as well. Have managed to
smuggle in a BoNT of gin. I just need now
to find basically some tonic and some ice that's not
going to make me go out the eye of a
(02:31):
needle at some stage. So I don't know. I'll let
you know. We're going to get back piny about what happens.
But it's all new to me.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
How are you feeling about our chances?
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Look, I reckon, it's good. We I'm quietly confident. Look,
I've got a reputation a little bit, pliny I've done
if you know. I've been to three Cricket World Cups
and I've watched the zer and lose all three. So
I need one. I need one here. And I think
India is the team that we that we want to
play because it's you didn't really want a World Cup
until you've beaten India in the final and they don't
(03:04):
have our measure. A lot of teams are untilmidated by India.
We seem to be the one one team that's not.
We tip them up in a lot of competitions where
their bogey team. Pull Forward from the VAC podcast describes
it quite well, where master is masters of the underdoggery
we go, we take that underdog tag and we use
it to our best abilities. And I think if we
(03:25):
win the toss bolt first and then get them out
for under two hundred, game on, pony, absolutely, game on, game.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
On, and if if the stuck of yours was to
be broken and the Black Caps do when the t
twenty Cricket World come sometime in the next fifteen sixteen
hours or so, surely you'll be invited along as one
of the very few Kiwi's on the ground there to
celebrate with the team.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Well yeah, well look hopefully I didn't cover myself in
glory back in twenty so fifteen in Melbourne at a
team after function. I'll talk about it to find a
Cap talk about that on a here that involves them.
It the involves some savory's been thrown around a room
and one certain member of the New Zealand board got hat. Anyway,
that's another story for another time. There is a few
key he's over here bumped into a few on the plane,
(04:10):
so there's a there's a small contingent. When I say
small contingent, I don't think it will break three figures,
but there's throughout the kind of kind of Southeast Asia
and Singapore, I saw loads of people trying to get
desperately get last minute visas and get over here. So
hopefully we can break that dack. And interestingly, if we
win this T twenty World Cup, we're going to have
(04:31):
basically our women's and men's team will be T twenty
World Cup champions and potentially neither of them will be
at the Olympics next year in La. So think about
that for a bit.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
I am. I am going to think about it. But
also if I look, if I had to send any
one of our five and a half million over there
to to be to get in the faces of the
one point four billion Indians who are going to be
buying for our blood, I would choose, well, I think
I would choose you. You cently be in my top
three anyway.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Oh thanks pony, that means that means a lot. I'll
I'll let you know if I form up to my
abilities come Monday. But I'm definitely looking forward to it,
and I'm looking forward to catch up with all the
other TV's out here that have made the effort, because
it certainly is an effort. Even getting out of here
is proving quite an issue because ICC obviously sponsored by
Emirates and they all go via Dubai. Obviously that corridor
(05:24):
is pretty much shut off. So everyone's going back by
Singapore for getting getting home as an issue. I got here,
getting home might be in a shoe, all right.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Well, it's good to know that the weekend sport and
ACC audience is intersect because there's a text here. Who
the hell Let g Lane go to the final man?
He is the worst luck ever. It's time to break
the duck. It's time to break the duck.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Yeah, I am known as grim Lane to a few
of the ACC audience. But need I need to break it, piny,
And anyway I can do it is by watching us
barnstorm to victory in the early hours of tomorrow morning
and bringing home the teacher when he will cup.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Love it, mate, love it. Thanks so much for joining us,
Mike Mike Lane. There Alternative Commentary Collective. They're hosting a
watch along just suits for them on socials, you'll find it.
It's going to be an absolute cracker. Two thirty tomorrow morning,
black Caps for India T twenty Cricket World Cup.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk set B weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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