March 27, 2025 • 20 mins
On Sports Fix with D'Arcy Waldegrave and Jason Pine for Thursday March 27, 2025 - WCA chair and New Zealand CPA boss Heath Mills talks about the proposal to restructure the international game amongst the difficult world of franchise cricket.
D’Arcy delivers an opinion on how the Warriors have managed to handle the Richard Agar saga with 'care'.
Plus, the lads join the panel to discuss the 'weird' series between Pakistan and Black Caps.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Sports Facts, your daily dose of sport.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello there, and welcome into a fresh episode of the
Sports Fixed podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
They're always fresh at the start.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We can't promise they'll be fresh at the end, but
what we put into them is the best ingredients we
can find.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
It's the twenty seventh of March. I'm Jason Pine.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Wow, things can get stale in fifteen minutes.
Speaker 5 (00:39):
It's terrible and.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Don't know, you know they can, but it's our job
to not let that happen.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
I'm Darcy Watergo the one with Jason Pine. We are
it for the Sports Fix, always something new and fresh
to digest, stale or not right pining.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Absolutely right now speaking of something that's fresh. Reports are
calling for a report singular calling for international windows in cricket.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
This is an intriguing one.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
We won't solve it in the podcast today, but we
can chat about it right Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Heath Mills, who's the chairs, the boss man at WCA
that's looking into this, will join us. I'm fascinated by
this concept of four twenty one day windows to play
test cricket and proper cricket, one day cricket and an
These bilateral monsters they are. But the fact that they're
trying to convince the BCCI to RELINQ with some of
(01:31):
their power and income, that is interesting. Keen to find
out more about that?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, looking forward down from Heath Mills, I've got some thoughts.
You'll have some thoughts as well, and other bits and
pieces to plus the latest sports news floating around today.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
So let's get into it. In other news, let's get
other way as.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
All wise by checking out some of the big sports
stories around today. The black Caps have completed a four
to one T twenty cricket route of Pakistan, chasing down
one hundred and twenty nine with ten overs to spare
in the final match in Wellington, Tim Saifer hitting an
unbeaten ninety seven of just thirty eight balls.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
But he's deflecting the praise to our.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
Bowlers as well. You know, they put them under PreCure
which makes it a little bit easier for us batters.
Are we going to give them big credit?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Tim Payne still basking in the glow of World Cup qualification.
The your Whites defender back with the Wellington Phoenix, having
helped New Zealand secure their passage. So the twenty twenty
six footballing show piece.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
As a pro progress.
Speaker 7 (02:24):
That was something that I always aspired to do, was
to represent my country and you know we're just quit
for a World Cup, which is yeah, it's hard to
describe the emotions and the feelings of.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It and the key we will feature in the British
and Irish Irish Lions coaching box this winter. Former Crusader's
assistant Andrew Goodman has been appointed to the tourist staff
as a backs specialist.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
He was eleven years old on the ninety three tour.
Come from a rugby mad family. Dead would have had
me in front of the TV there and it was
probably kind of my first exposure to players from the
Northern Hemisphere. When I think about the Hastings brothers and
Gus Gordon, Lan's like this St.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Sex Tadath Warmot.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
Welcome now to Heath Mills, the executive chair of the
World Cricketers' Association the WCA. High Heath big time of
you guys at the moment working hard, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, we have.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Actually it's we're really pleased to produce the report that
were released last night. It's been about six seven months
in the making. And look, I think you know, our
boards had a conversation about twelve months ago, and as
we often do, we went around in circles about various
(03:33):
degrees of frustration with the structure of the global game
of cricket, where we have franchise leagues and competitions clashing
with bilateral international cricket. We've got bilateral international cricket declining
and value unless people engaging in it because it doesn't
have a lot of context and the meaning. We have
outdated regulations and obviously the preennial problem we have in
(03:54):
our sport with decisions are made by a global governing
body that really isn't one. It's a members organization and
people look after themselves. So and we've given various degrees
of reckons and thoughts and opinions on that over the years,
and we just decided, look, we actually are not aware
of a report being completed that looked that reviewed cricket
(04:14):
and from a scheduling, economics, regulation, leadership point of view,
and decided to commission on ourselves. And we're very fortunate
we got Paul Marsh to lead a working group who
is used to lead the Australian Crickets Associations, current CEO
of the AFL Player Association, obviously part of the Marsh
Creckitt family, and a whole of ex books joined him.
(04:36):
Tom Harrison, former ECB CEO and obviously a significant broadcasting
career in sangral Gupta from it from Star Sports in India,
along with a number of past players. So it was
a really good working group met with about close to
seventy different stakeholders players, past players, administrators, current and past broadcasters,
(05:01):
and really the overwhelming response was Cricket's got issues the
value buy that or crickets declining. The structure of the
competitions at the international franchise level is confusing for fans
and cricket needs to actually take stock and come up
with a better system and try and develop a program
(05:24):
that people can follow, understand, is more efficient and potentially
maximizes its opportunities, which it's not doing at the moment.
So we're very pleased with the report that the working
group come up with and I'm very delighted to put
it out under public domain with its associated recommendations and
we hope it gets good discussion and debate.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
Make a good point in the scheduling is chaotic, inconsistent
and confusing. There's are three words you don't want in
any structure. The report itself, it's quite a convoluted, confusing name,
protecting history, embracing change, a unified, coherent and global future.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
But it is what it is. The big question here.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Heat World Crickets Association, how much strength have you got?
You can say all you want, you can report all
you want, but can you get any movement with the
power brokers of World Cricket and I look toward the BCCI.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Yeah, it's a really good question, and in one we've
been asked a lot. And of course we're only one
stakeholder in the game. The players present the majority of
the players views. The reality is we need to work together.
We have invested in this report, pull a lot of
time and effort in energy into it. We think it's
(06:39):
got really solid recommendations. We don't believe it there'll be
a panacea, but we know that some stakeholder groups and
some of that you mentioned, will try and poke holes
in it. They will try and discredit parts of it,
and they will try and say some parts of it
can't work in their environment. You know, the recommendations are
at the high level, they're conceptual. There are ways to
(07:01):
address any issue anyone might have. We know that the
ICC and the boards aren't going to say this is fantastic,
we're going to adopt it tomorrow. What we want from
this is discussion. So we want media to engage in it.
We want media to question and challenge in it. Going
to we're putting it in front of the ICC, It's
(07:21):
been put in front of the Cricket Committee where the
ICC last night and the Woman's Cricket Committee today. We've
sent it to all the national governing bodies. We hope
that they will look at it, they will read it,
they will come back with views on it, and hopefully
if we keep it in the public domain, enough enough
discussion occurs and enough pressure goes on the governing bodies
(07:42):
to do something about the problems. Because the problems aren't
going away. Whether it's this report, it's recommendations, or a
crisis inflection point in a few years time, something needs
to be done. We know the value of bilateral international
cricket is declining. We know the interest in that is
not what it used to be. We know the interest
(08:03):
and the value and the leagues is growing, so you're
One of the key recommendations here for US is creating
four windows for what we describe as core international cricket,
for twenty one day windows where international cricket can be prioritized,
and we hope through doing that it's going to have
more value because the best players will be available to
plan it, which we just don't see happening at all
(08:25):
at the moment aside from ICC events and Major testamentch series.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
I suppose, Hey, if you look at that, when you
establish yourself as an international player, you become a superstar
then and then you can move on to the franchise legs.
Without that the international cricket and the relevance of there's
no one to pick for all of these franchise legs.
There are no names. They need each other. It's a
symbiotic relationship, isn't it.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Well, I'm not certain that that's going to be the future.
What we know is that the leagues are being privatized.
As you know, there are team owners now her own
teams across multiple leagues. We know that they are now
developing academies in the major cricket playing countries, and there
are players who are getting picked up for the leagues
who have played no international cricket or virtue of very
(09:11):
little international cricket. And we have even in our own
country players that have played not a lot of international
cricket who are now, for all intents and purposes, on
the international franchise circuit. So yes, whilst I would agree
with you initially five ten years ago that was the case,
there's no certainty that that's going to remain the case
moving forward. So we strongly believe that we need to
(09:34):
protect some aspects of international cricket and sure the best
players play because that's critically how a number of the
balls derive most of their revenue. So you know, it's
important that we protect it. But we also have got
to provide opportunity for the leagues to grow. The leagues
have been very good for cricket, and you look at
the explosion and cricket, the number of countries around the
(09:54):
world in franchise cricket, so there's a lot of good
in that. But we just need to make sure that
we've got clear windows and we've got clear competitions that
people can follow and understand, and it's not about playing
biolactual international cricket team months of the year, sometimes with
b your sea level teams because the best players aren't
here playing the game. That's that's not the saint sustainable future.
(10:17):
We'd rather the game was more proactive and did something
about that.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
Starting framework is what you need. A good work well
done on the mucky behind this. It's the WCA, the
World Cricketers Association Executive Chair Heath at Mills, wishing you
the best for that because yeah, as I said today,
ain't broken, don't fix it, but it's broken and we
know it. And it's nice to see Heath Mills that
(10:40):
that has been recognized.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
Thanks Darsie, appreciate the time to check sports effects.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Transparent or translucent there is a big difference between those
two words. CEO of the Warriors, Cam George insist on
transparency so people know where they are, what they're doing,
how they're processing. All very well and good until someone
like Richard Agar gets himself into a world of strife
(11:07):
by man handling a journalist. Suddenly the transparency fades and
it turns into translucence. So do we have a right
to know what Richard Agard. Did we do know he's
a three week suspension. We do know it's cost ten
thousand dollars, and we do know that he has professed regret.
Although when you read this statement from the Warriors, it
(11:30):
sounds like it's been written by the mr L and
just posted through. I repeat from the Warriors it is
in the best interest of the club, the players and
the game to accept the penalty and move on. Well,
that's what Cameron George said, but it does sound very
much like a cut and paste from head office. Richard
Agar said, I regret what happened, and I know it's
(11:53):
not acceptable. I accept the.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Penalty and now want to move forward and learn from this.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
So they tell us something, but they don't tell us
a great deal. But that comes back to the question,
do we have a right as fans of the club
to know what a representative of the club did overseas
in face of some And we don't even know what
the journalist says in face of some heckling from the journalist.
(12:19):
If we don't know, we'll make it up. If we
do know, it tends to dissipate without any further conjecture.
That's what I've noticed in the media anyway, The worries
have been very quiet around this situation, more translucent than transparent.
And the lesson here is there's been a transition in times.
You simply can't manhandle anybody in the workplace. If you do,
(12:45):
you leave yourself open to all sorts of trouble, as
Aga has rightly found out.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Us and a Vinian It's Sportsfix with Jason Pine and
Dussy Waterergrave.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
And to the Chamber, we go to kick around a
couple of the sports issues floating around today, including what
you've just been speaking to Heath Mills about. It's a
fascinating issue, isn't it. Specific windows in the calendar for
international matches. I feel as though something has to change
because the rise and rise, seemingly unchecked of franchise cricket
(13:18):
is at some point going to completely monster the international
game if something isn't done about it.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
Right to build stars in all of those franchise leagues, first,
you've got to start with prevalence in international cricket through tests,
through One day internationals. That's the way they get to
the superstar status. That's what carries on increasing the interest
in the league. So you can't ignore it. They say,
if it's not broke, don't fix it. It's broken, Pinty,
(13:47):
we know it is, and they have to wrestle this
however long it takes.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
But the fact that they're addressing this as an issue
I think is so important for cricket because we don't
want to see the death of Test cricket.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
None of us do absolutely right. And relevance, I think,
is a word that is start around a lot in
international cricket at the moment. What is the relevance now
of bilateral series between teams? I like the idea that's
put forward of divisions for each of the three formats,
promotion relegation at the end of a two year cycle.
That adds relevance, does it? That adds as motivation for
(14:22):
these teams?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Well, they got it.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Right with the Test Cricket Championship. This is a great innovation.
But now they've got to go to the next step.
Yet they've done one thing. Let's not move at a
glacial pace. Let's work on that and they move to
the next level. You've got to keep changing. If you
sit still, what happens you.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Sink, So don't do it. So this is a.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Great drive from the players from World cricket absolutely well.
Speaking of cricket, we had some in Wellington last night
YESTERDA afternoon and into the evening. Look, I know our
White Ferns are t twenty world champions, but I think
what the last couple of weeks of Shanness is and
they were very lucky they didn't play Australia in the
(15:02):
knockout stages. Yeah, and you'd suggest that they need to
be a wee bit more able when it comes to
catch and they couldn't get COVID.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
In the middle of that pandemic.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
They put everything down and I from what I know
of the players, they would be very upset with that
because that was a substandard performance. That was eleven year
old stuff. That shit, we could have done that better, Pioneer.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
It was awful.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, And actually, I mean that's not drawing a long bow.
And normally the White Firms are pretty good in the field.
Players who were put in the catches down Maddy Green.
Yet she hardly ever drops a catch, you know, but
they weren't, and you know it, just look at dropping
catches is bad at the best of times when you're
up against a world champion. Side or basically a chist
on the best of the world. You can't be dropping catches.
(15:51):
I was impressed with the way they got so close
at the end, with Maddy Green and Mealy Kerr giving
it a real go. But at the end of it
three nils to Australia.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Well, if they had taken their catches, what would have happened?
Speaker 5 (16:01):
We could have actually maybe rolled over the top of
them at let's a wee asterisk care Do you remember
it was a first time last year that the black
Cats went through the same thing where they just.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Grasped everything that went anywhere near them.
Speaker 5 (16:14):
I suppose, as Gary said, Stead said, you're going to
have days like that.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
You just got to flush it and move on.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Absolutely. Speaking of holy hatchers and winning cricket matchures, the
black Caps didn't have any problem with that against a
fairly listless looking Pakistan team over five T twenty internationals.
Having said that, you're still going to win the games,
Tim Sifer.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
How well is he hitting the ball at the moment.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
I'm going to tune into the PSL, the Pakistan Super League.
I'm going to watch the Karachi Kings because Adam milns
there as well. In fact, I think David Warner and
Came Williamson are in Tim Sifett's side because that was
pure entertainment. Ten sixers, out and out aggression, and they're
the sound of the ball off the.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Batpony incredible two hundred and forty nine runs across the
series off one hundred and twenty balls. So that's basically
like getting two forty nine and a T twenty game yourself,
isn't it. Averaging sixty two striking at two hundred and
seven Finellen meantime down the other end, striking at two
hundred and eleven. These guys just simply aren't mucking around anymore.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
And that would be the more impressive.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
The trouble is Finella never saw the strike, I mean,
but he did see it, and the look on his
face last night, the kind of bemused look that spread
across Allen's face at the tones. I wish they could
be down there, but I'd tell you what, best seat
in the house is awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Oh absolutely, And they're just they're just going for it.
I mean, I think we've tried to pair up people
in the past and white ball cricket. You've got your Dasher,
but you've got your your solid guy down the other end.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
I don't know who the solid guy isn't.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Tim Siphon and the Finellan partnership, but look they can
they can just go for it.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
What they add in the powerplay eighty odd and the
power play the.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
Six overs in the game was over by now. I
think I'd say three or four overs into it. I
was like, okay, fine, this is wrapped. They can't possibly
lose from here. Still, We've got the one days coming
up and that we move into the next level, a
different set of players coming on. And see that Tom
Latham is injured and he's not out, so that means
(18:14):
the return of Henry Nichols.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Indeed, and Ryese Somidi also added into the team. There's
been a lot of chat about this young Cantabrian, mainly
in Red Bull cricket, I've got to say, but it
seems to translate across formats. Nick Kelly, of course, Hare's
got a lot of red ball runs this summer and
he's into the one day side as well. I actually
am quite looking forward to seeing some new blood again.
We've seen it in T twenty cricket in recent times,
haven't we The fifty overstuff now is now going to
(18:38):
be played by a New Zealand team with you know,
with actually once you had Henry Nichols back in obviously,
but you know, quite a bit of inexperience, which I
don't mind.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Broaden the base.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
There is a World Cup every year, let's face a bit.
It's a one day in's National World Cup next year,
so there's a lot to aim at. There's a lot
of building to be done, so they turn up in
good shape.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Absolutely lots of crickets to look forward to, both off
the field moving hopefully a bit quicker than glacial speed,
as these things tend to happen, and on the field
with the white ball stuff the three match series against
Pakistan to finish our home summer. I think that wraps
us in the chamber today, Dars, unless there's anything else
you want to add.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
How's the meal smelling. Have we gone off yet or not?
Speaker 3 (19:23):
It's still smelling very fresh to me.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
So let's get out what we can Sports Deck Sex
and exit stage left we will for this edition of
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Speaker 4 (19:40):
I reckon.
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It's a you know, I don't think it's too much
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Well, it's better than being told. No one reacts very
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So?
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Speaker 5 (19:51):
So? If you can, please subscribe, Tell your friends, tell
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Speaker 2 (20:01):
Well, I think probably somebody on stage you thought well,
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Speaker 4 (20:04):
Heaven's to murder Troy.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
There was that cartoon back in then day exit Steve's
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(20:26):
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Speaker 4 (20:30):
On News Talk z B, it was Snaggletooth.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Snaggletooth, it was see you tomorrow DS.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
For more from News Talk zed B, listen live on
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You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Sports Facts, your daily dose of sport.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Hello there, and welcome into a fresh episode of the
Sports Fixed podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
They're always fresh at the start.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We can't promise they'll be fresh at the end, but
what we put into them is the best ingredients we
can find.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
It's the twenty seventh of March. I'm Jason Pine.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Wow, things can get stale in fifteen minutes.
Speaker 5 (00:39):
It's terrible and.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Don't know, you know they can, but it's our job
to not let that happen.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
I'm Darcy Watergo the one with Jason Pine. We are
it for the Sports Fix, always something new and fresh
to digest, stale or not right pining.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Absolutely right now speaking of something that's fresh. Reports are
calling for a report singular calling for international windows in cricket.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
This is an intriguing one.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
We won't solve it in the podcast today, but we
can chat about it right Yeah.
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Heath Mills, who's the chairs, the boss man at WCA
that's looking into this, will join us. I'm fascinated by
this concept of four twenty one day windows to play
test cricket and proper cricket, one day cricket and an
These bilateral monsters they are. But the fact that they're
trying to convince the BCCI to RELINQ with some of
(01:31):
their power and income, that is interesting. Keen to find
out more about that?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, looking forward down from Heath Mills, I've got some thoughts.
You'll have some thoughts as well, and other bits and
pieces to plus the latest sports news floating around today.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
So let's get into it. In other news, let's get
other way as.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
All wise by checking out some of the big sports
stories around today. The black Caps have completed a four
to one T twenty cricket route of Pakistan, chasing down
one hundred and twenty nine with ten overs to spare
in the final match in Wellington, Tim Saifer hitting an
unbeaten ninety seven of just thirty eight balls.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
But he's deflecting the praise to our.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
Bowlers as well. You know, they put them under PreCure
which makes it a little bit easier for us batters.
Are we going to give them big credit?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Tim Payne still basking in the glow of World Cup qualification.
The your Whites defender back with the Wellington Phoenix, having
helped New Zealand secure their passage. So the twenty twenty
six footballing show piece.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
As a pro progress.
Speaker 7 (02:24):
That was something that I always aspired to do, was
to represent my country and you know we're just quit
for a World Cup, which is yeah, it's hard to
describe the emotions and the feelings of.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It and the key we will feature in the British
and Irish Irish Lions coaching box this winter. Former Crusader's
assistant Andrew Goodman has been appointed to the tourist staff
as a backs specialist.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
He was eleven years old on the ninety three tour.
Come from a rugby mad family. Dead would have had
me in front of the TV there and it was
probably kind of my first exposure to players from the
Northern Hemisphere. When I think about the Hastings brothers and
Gus Gordon, Lan's like this St.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Sex Tadath Warmot.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
Welcome now to Heath Mills, the executive chair of the
World Cricketers' Association the WCA. High Heath big time of
you guys at the moment working hard, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Yeah, we have.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Actually it's we're really pleased to produce the report that
were released last night. It's been about six seven months
in the making. And look, I think you know, our
boards had a conversation about twelve months ago, and as
we often do, we went around in circles about various
(03:33):
degrees of frustration with the structure of the global game
of cricket, where we have franchise leagues and competitions clashing
with bilateral international cricket. We've got bilateral international cricket declining
and value unless people engaging in it because it doesn't
have a lot of context and the meaning. We have
outdated regulations and obviously the preennial problem we have in
(03:54):
our sport with decisions are made by a global governing
body that really isn't one. It's a members organization and
people look after themselves. So and we've given various degrees
of reckons and thoughts and opinions on that over the years,
and we just decided, look, we actually are not aware
of a report being completed that looked that reviewed cricket
(04:14):
and from a scheduling, economics, regulation, leadership point of view,
and decided to commission on ourselves. And we're very fortunate
we got Paul Marsh to lead a working group who
is used to lead the Australian Crickets Associations, current CEO
of the AFL Player Association, obviously part of the Marsh
Creckitt family, and a whole of ex books joined him.
(04:36):
Tom Harrison, former ECB CEO and obviously a significant broadcasting
career in sangral Gupta from it from Star Sports in India,
along with a number of past players. So it was
a really good working group met with about close to
seventy different stakeholders players, past players, administrators, current and past broadcasters,
(05:01):
and really the overwhelming response was Cricket's got issues the
value buy that or crickets declining. The structure of the
competitions at the international franchise level is confusing for fans
and cricket needs to actually take stock and come up
with a better system and try and develop a program
(05:24):
that people can follow, understand, is more efficient and potentially
maximizes its opportunities, which it's not doing at the moment.
So we're very pleased with the report that the working
group come up with and I'm very delighted to put
it out under public domain with its associated recommendations and
we hope it gets good discussion and debate.
Speaker 5 (05:42):
Make a good point in the scheduling is chaotic, inconsistent
and confusing. There's are three words you don't want in
any structure. The report itself, it's quite a convoluted, confusing name,
protecting history, embracing change, a unified, coherent and global future.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
But it is what it is. The big question here.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
Heat World Crickets Association, how much strength have you got?
You can say all you want, you can report all
you want, but can you get any movement with the
power brokers of World Cricket and I look toward the BCCI.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Yeah, it's a really good question, and in one we've
been asked a lot. And of course we're only one
stakeholder in the game. The players present the majority of
the players views. The reality is we need to work together.
We have invested in this report, pull a lot of
time and effort in energy into it. We think it's
(06:39):
got really solid recommendations. We don't believe it there'll be
a panacea, but we know that some stakeholder groups and
some of that you mentioned, will try and poke holes
in it. They will try and discredit parts of it,
and they will try and say some parts of it
can't work in their environment. You know, the recommendations are
at the high level, they're conceptual. There are ways to
(07:01):
address any issue anyone might have. We know that the
ICC and the boards aren't going to say this is fantastic,
we're going to adopt it tomorrow. What we want from
this is discussion. So we want media to engage in it.
We want media to question and challenge in it. Going
to we're putting it in front of the ICC, It's
(07:21):
been put in front of the Cricket Committee where the
ICC last night and the Woman's Cricket Committee today. We've
sent it to all the national governing bodies. We hope
that they will look at it, they will read it,
they will come back with views on it, and hopefully
if we keep it in the public domain, enough enough
discussion occurs and enough pressure goes on the governing bodies
(07:42):
to do something about the problems. Because the problems aren't
going away. Whether it's this report, it's recommendations, or a
crisis inflection point in a few years time, something needs
to be done. We know the value of bilateral international
cricket is declining. We know the interest in that is
not what it used to be. We know the interest
(08:03):
and the value and the leagues is growing, so you're
One of the key recommendations here for US is creating
four windows for what we describe as core international cricket,
for twenty one day windows where international cricket can be prioritized,
and we hope through doing that it's going to have
more value because the best players will be available to
plan it, which we just don't see happening at all
(08:25):
at the moment aside from ICC events and Major testamentch series.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
I suppose, Hey, if you look at that, when you
establish yourself as an international player, you become a superstar
then and then you can move on to the franchise legs.
Without that the international cricket and the relevance of there's
no one to pick for all of these franchise legs.
There are no names. They need each other. It's a
symbiotic relationship, isn't it.
Speaker 6 (08:49):
Well, I'm not certain that that's going to be the future.
What we know is that the leagues are being privatized.
As you know, there are team owners now her own
teams across multiple leagues. We know that they are now
developing academies in the major cricket playing countries, and there
are players who are getting picked up for the leagues
who have played no international cricket or virtue of very
(09:11):
little international cricket. And we have even in our own
country players that have played not a lot of international
cricket who are now, for all intents and purposes, on
the international franchise circuit. So yes, whilst I would agree
with you initially five ten years ago that was the case,
there's no certainty that that's going to remain the case
moving forward. So we strongly believe that we need to
(09:34):
protect some aspects of international cricket and sure the best
players play because that's critically how a number of the
balls derive most of their revenue. So you know, it's
important that we protect it. But we also have got
to provide opportunity for the leagues to grow. The leagues
have been very good for cricket, and you look at
the explosion and cricket, the number of countries around the
(09:54):
world in franchise cricket, so there's a lot of good
in that. But we just need to make sure that
we've got clear windows and we've got clear competitions that
people can follow and understand, and it's not about playing
biolactual international cricket team months of the year, sometimes with
b your sea level teams because the best players aren't
here playing the game. That's that's not the saint sustainable future.
(10:17):
We'd rather the game was more proactive and did something
about that.
Speaker 5 (10:20):
Starting framework is what you need. A good work well
done on the mucky behind this. It's the WCA, the
World Cricketers Association Executive Chair Heath at Mills, wishing you
the best for that because yeah, as I said today,
ain't broken, don't fix it, but it's broken and we
know it. And it's nice to see Heath Mills that
(10:40):
that has been recognized.
Speaker 6 (10:42):
Thanks Darsie, appreciate the time to check sports effects.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Transparent or translucent there is a big difference between those
two words. CEO of the Warriors, Cam George insist on
transparency so people know where they are, what they're doing,
how they're processing. All very well and good until someone
like Richard Agar gets himself into a world of strife
(11:07):
by man handling a journalist. Suddenly the transparency fades and
it turns into translucence. So do we have a right
to know what Richard Agard. Did we do know he's
a three week suspension. We do know it's cost ten
thousand dollars, and we do know that he has professed regret.
Although when you read this statement from the Warriors, it
(11:30):
sounds like it's been written by the mr L and
just posted through. I repeat from the Warriors it is
in the best interest of the club, the players and
the game to accept the penalty and move on. Well,
that's what Cameron George said, but it does sound very
much like a cut and paste from head office. Richard
Agar said, I regret what happened, and I know it's
(11:53):
not acceptable. I accept the.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Penalty and now want to move forward and learn from this.
Speaker 5 (11:59):
So they tell us something, but they don't tell us
a great deal. But that comes back to the question,
do we have a right as fans of the club
to know what a representative of the club did overseas
in face of some And we don't even know what
the journalist says in face of some heckling from the journalist.
(12:19):
If we don't know, we'll make it up. If we
do know, it tends to dissipate without any further conjecture.
That's what I've noticed in the media anyway, The worries
have been very quiet around this situation, more translucent than transparent.
And the lesson here is there's been a transition in times.
You simply can't manhandle anybody in the workplace. If you do,
(12:45):
you leave yourself open to all sorts of trouble, as
Aga has rightly found out.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Us and a Vinian It's Sportsfix with Jason Pine and
Dussy Waterergrave.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
And to the Chamber, we go to kick around a
couple of the sports issues floating around today, including what
you've just been speaking to Heath Mills about. It's a
fascinating issue, isn't it. Specific windows in the calendar for
international matches. I feel as though something has to change
because the rise and rise, seemingly unchecked of franchise cricket
(13:18):
is at some point going to completely monster the international
game if something isn't done about it.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
Right to build stars in all of those franchise leagues, first,
you've got to start with prevalence in international cricket through tests,
through One day internationals. That's the way they get to
the superstar status. That's what carries on increasing the interest
in the league. So you can't ignore it. They say,
if it's not broke, don't fix it. It's broken, Pinty,
(13:47):
we know it is, and they have to wrestle this
however long it takes.
Speaker 4 (13:50):
It doesn't matter.
Speaker 5 (13:51):
But the fact that they're addressing this as an issue
I think is so important for cricket because we don't
want to see the death of Test cricket.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
None of us do absolutely right. And relevance, I think,
is a word that is start around a lot in
international cricket at the moment. What is the relevance now
of bilateral series between teams? I like the idea that's
put forward of divisions for each of the three formats,
promotion relegation at the end of a two year cycle.
That adds relevance, does it? That adds as motivation for
(14:22):
these teams?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Well, they got it.
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Right with the Test Cricket Championship. This is a great innovation.
But now they've got to go to the next step.
Yet they've done one thing. Let's not move at a
glacial pace. Let's work on that and they move to
the next level. You've got to keep changing. If you
sit still, what happens you.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Sink, So don't do it. So this is a.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Great drive from the players from World cricket absolutely well.
Speaking of cricket, we had some in Wellington last night
YESTERDA afternoon and into the evening. Look, I know our
White Ferns are t twenty world champions, but I think
what the last couple of weeks of Shanness is and
they were very lucky they didn't play Australia in the
(15:02):
knockout stages. Yeah, and you'd suggest that they need to
be a wee bit more able when it comes to
catch and they couldn't get COVID.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
In the middle of that pandemic.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
They put everything down and I from what I know
of the players, they would be very upset with that
because that was a substandard performance. That was eleven year
old stuff. That shit, we could have done that better, Pioneer.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
It was awful.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, And actually, I mean that's not drawing a long bow.
And normally the White Firms are pretty good in the field.
Players who were put in the catches down Maddy Green.
Yet she hardly ever drops a catch, you know, but
they weren't, and you know it, just look at dropping
catches is bad at the best of times when you're
up against a world champion. Side or basically a chist
on the best of the world. You can't be dropping catches.
(15:51):
I was impressed with the way they got so close
at the end, with Maddy Green and Mealy Kerr giving
it a real go. But at the end of it
three nils to Australia.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Well, if they had taken their catches, what would have happened?
Speaker 5 (16:01):
We could have actually maybe rolled over the top of
them at let's a wee asterisk care Do you remember
it was a first time last year that the black
Cats went through the same thing where they just.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Grasped everything that went anywhere near them.
Speaker 5 (16:14):
I suppose, as Gary said, Stead said, you're going to
have days like that.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
You just got to flush it and move on.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Absolutely. Speaking of holy hatchers and winning cricket matchures, the
black Caps didn't have any problem with that against a
fairly listless looking Pakistan team over five T twenty internationals.
Having said that, you're still going to win the games,
Tim Sifer.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
How well is he hitting the ball at the moment.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
I'm going to tune into the PSL, the Pakistan Super League.
I'm going to watch the Karachi Kings because Adam milns
there as well. In fact, I think David Warner and
Came Williamson are in Tim Sifett's side because that was
pure entertainment. Ten sixers, out and out aggression, and they're
the sound of the ball off the.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Batpony incredible two hundred and forty nine runs across the
series off one hundred and twenty balls. So that's basically
like getting two forty nine and a T twenty game yourself,
isn't it. Averaging sixty two striking at two hundred and
seven Finellen meantime down the other end, striking at two
hundred and eleven. These guys just simply aren't mucking around anymore.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
And that would be the more impressive.
Speaker 5 (17:21):
The trouble is Finella never saw the strike, I mean,
but he did see it, and the look on his
face last night, the kind of bemused look that spread
across Allen's face at the tones. I wish they could
be down there, but I'd tell you what, best seat
in the house is awesome.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Oh absolutely, And they're just they're just going for it.
I mean, I think we've tried to pair up people
in the past and white ball cricket. You've got your Dasher,
but you've got your your solid guy down the other end.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
I don't know who the solid guy isn't.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Tim Siphon and the Finellan partnership, but look they can
they can just go for it.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
What they add in the powerplay eighty odd and the
power play the.
Speaker 5 (17:53):
Six overs in the game was over by now. I
think I'd say three or four overs into it. I
was like, okay, fine, this is wrapped. They can't possibly
lose from here. Still, We've got the one days coming
up and that we move into the next level, a
different set of players coming on. And see that Tom
Latham is injured and he's not out, so that means
(18:14):
the return of Henry Nichols.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Indeed, and Ryese Somidi also added into the team. There's
been a lot of chat about this young Cantabrian, mainly
in Red Bull cricket, I've got to say, but it
seems to translate across formats. Nick Kelly, of course, Hare's
got a lot of red ball runs this summer and
he's into the one day side as well. I actually
am quite looking forward to seeing some new blood again.
We've seen it in T twenty cricket in recent times,
haven't we The fifty overstuff now is now going to
(18:38):
be played by a New Zealand team with you know,
with actually once you had Henry Nichols back in obviously,
but you know, quite a bit of inexperience, which I
don't mind.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Broaden the base.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
There is a World Cup every year, let's face a bit.
It's a one day in's National World Cup next year,
so there's a lot to aim at. There's a lot
of building to be done, so they turn up in
good shape.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
Absolutely lots of crickets to look forward to, both off
the field moving hopefully a bit quicker than glacial speed,
as these things tend to happen, and on the field
with the white ball stuff the three match series against
Pakistan to finish our home summer. I think that wraps
us in the chamber today, Dars, unless there's anything else
you want to add.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
How's the meal smelling. Have we gone off yet or not?
Speaker 3 (19:23):
It's still smelling very fresh to me.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
So let's get out what we can Sports Deck Sex
and exit stage left we will for this edition of
the Sportsbooks podcast. Thank you so much for listening, thanks
for downloading, thanks for subscribing, and if you have friends
who like sport.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
I reckon.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
It's a you know, I don't think it's too much
of it in position for us to ask you to
ask them to subscribe.
Speaker 4 (19:46):
Well, it's better than being told. No one reacts very
well with that at all, does they?
Speaker 3 (19:50):
So?
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Do they?
Speaker 5 (19:51):
So? If you can, please subscribe, Tell your friends, tell
your family. Before we exit, stage left insidently who coined
that phrase?
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Well, I think probably somebody on stage you thought well,
I'm going to go that way.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
Heaven's to murder Troy.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
There was that cartoon back in then day exit Steve's
left anyway, if you would, if you'd like to listen
to more of Piney and I, you can. Piney has
got Saturday and Sunday afternoon twelve through three o'clock this
weekend Sport. He's also got Monday between seven and eight
that is Sports Talk, and I've got the rest of
(20:26):
the shooting match Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday, same time at
seven to eight pm.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
On News Talk z B, it was Snaggletooth.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Snaggletooth, it was see you tomorrow DS.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
For more from News Talk zed B, listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcast on iHeartRadio,
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