Jason Pine: Sportstalk host on NZ Cricket delaying the NZ20 competition launch to 2028

The chairman of the NZ20 accepts it became an inevitability that they would need to delay the launch of the franchise cricket competition until 2028.

Don Mackinnon says they reached the point that it couldn't be done properly this summer with the Black Caps touring Australia and then welcoming Sri Lanka soon after.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine explained further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Sport, We generate celebrating great performances in sport and key
we saver against Jason Pine sports talkhosters of That's Hallo Piney. Hello,
Heather Right, what do you make of the n Z
twenty League being delayed by a year?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, I think it's the right decision. I know You've
got Don mckennanon in an hour or so, and I'm
sure he'll tell you that it is really because of
the squeezing of what the proposed window is in January,
because of the existing international calendar. New Zealand play Australia
in four test matches, the last of which finishes in
early January. Sri Lankay here for an all format tour

(00:33):
which begins early February. They want a thirty three day window.
They just won't get it with existing commitments around the
international calendar. So rather than try and squeeze it in,
have a bunch of double headers and make it, you know,
try to fit. What they're going to do is give
themselves some clear air, which also gives them the chance,
of course, to finalize investors in a bit more time

(00:54):
up their sleeves to get everything right and launch it
in the summer.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
Of twenty seven to twenty eighty that do you believe
that story because none of this has changed right the
whole way through this discussion. Those things have been fixed
in the calendar. Is that really the reason or is
the truth that it was way too ambitious doing everything
that needed to be done, getting the councils to tender
for the teams, finding investors for the teams, you know,
auctioning the players, like building uniforms, everything just seemed really ambitious.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Well, I mean, yeah, great questions for Don McKinnon to
answer when you chat to them. I the Sri Lankan
part of it wasn't absolutely locked in. The Australian series
has been there for some time. I'm not sure that
the Sri Lankan series was unmovable, but what I mean,
there's no doubt that it gives them a lot more
time to get things locked in. They were racing the
clock because it took so long for NZ twenty to

(01:41):
be given the tick by New Zealand Cricket. They were
up against it. At least this gives them some, you know,
some time to not make hasty decisions and to make
sure they do get it right when it does launch.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Okay, what do you then think of how many players
we're going to lose? Because when I was when it
was explained to me why they had to hurry and
get this thing up for year twenty twenty seven, it's
because this year players are going to be signing contracts overseas.
But those contracts are two year contracts. So if we
lose them for jan twenty seven, are we also losing
them for January twenty eight, which is now the start

(02:11):
of the competition.

Speaker 2 (02:12):
Not always two year contracts. They can be two year contracts,
not always, that's not common. And I think if the
New Zealand players, you know, put their money where their
mouths are, they'll say, okay, well I do still want
to be an NZ twenty I'll sign a one year contract.
One year contracts are not rare, Heather in T twenty so,
and they're also if somebody is under a two year
contract and couldn't have been signed for this year, then

(02:33):
they do become available for the next one. So I
guess it's swings and roundabouts as far as that's concerned. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
John McKinnon's with us just after five or about quarter
past five now, The Wellington Phoenix women's side has done really.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Well, isn't it? How good into a Grand final for
the first time, first time and New Zealand team's ever
made the Grand Final on the A League. Yeah, cool
atmosphere out at Potty Too A Park yesterday. I'slucky to
have to be their massive crowd, huge emotion and the
fact that they've nearver ever made the playoffs before, let
alone the Grand Final. It was already cool occasion. They
played Melbourne City on Saturday night in Melbourne one off game. Look,

(03:03):
I wouldn't put it past them to go over there
and win the match. You know it's a one off
game and who knows what might happen. But yeah, really
cool achievement.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Can we put this down to the coach?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Absolutely? Yeah, absolutely, she's Yeah, she's brilliant, She improves every
player she coaches. And we all know the circumstances behind
how BEF Priestman came to be the Wellington Phoenix coach
the band for the Drone sky Are spying scandal at
the last Olympic Games, the twelve month ban. The irony
is here that if she hadn't been banned, the Wellington
Phoenix would have gone nowhere near her. You know, she's

(03:35):
in many ways far too good at coach for this league.
But the circumstances fell into place and here we are. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
Brilliant. Hey Piney, thank you. I really appreciate it. Jason
Pine SportsTalk Coast. He'll be back at seven.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Years for more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live
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