Nick Bewley: sports commentator on the prospect of New Zealand entering the Big Bash T20 league

There's cautious optimism within the Black Caps about the prospect of a New Zealand team in cricket's Big Bash T20 league.

NZ Cricket are investigating whether joining the Australian competition is viable.

Sports commentator Nick Bewley revealed what we know so far.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I've got Nick Bewley and he's hosting sports Talk tonight.

(00:02):
Hei Nick, Hello, Heather. Okay, should we put a team
into the big T twenty Big Bash thing? I think
we should. The Big Bash thing. Yeah, the Australian Big
Bash that's been going for the best part of I
think up to the fifteenth year going into this summer.
This is big money. They've been onto a winner really
for quite some time and probably outside of the IPL,
the Indian Premier League, this is the number two franchise

(00:25):
T twenty competition. This is sort of bubbled away for quite
some time in terms of them looking to expand. At
the moment, it's an eight team competition and it's run
via all the states in Australia, Queensland, New South Wales
and soign and so forth. However, they're looking at privatization
and expansion, looking at New Zealand, looking at Singapore, other markets.
For US, we've had this domestic T twenty supersmash competition

(00:47):
for some time, but it doesn't really it just doesn't
quite hit the mark in terms of you know, it's
got that sort of summer barbecue vibe. It fits a purpose,
but it's not the Big Bash. It's not the fireworks
and excitement that T twenty cricket and provide. So I
think he's yelling cricket well, very smart and finally giving
this some considerable thought, getting outside a perspective and commissioning

(01:09):
a report and seeing what is possible, because I think
as we see this ever changing landscape of cricket, you
don't want to get left behind and I think there's
an opportunity to be had there. Yeah, Now how much
of a money spinner is it? Well, I don't know
that the devil's always in the detail, but I think
it would make more money than what the Super Smash does.

(01:29):
In fact, there's been reports that the Super Smash runs
at a considerable loss. So I think, particularly early on,
there'd be a fair bit of interest in an Australian
team coming over, whether there would be games at Eden
Park or sky Stadium at Wellington for example. I think,
you know, if we look at other Australian leagues, when
New Zealand have sporting teams such as the Warriors and

(01:50):
the Breakers and Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix, I
feel like there's some genuine optimism in around that that
cricket can catch on to this because like it all
though that we're you know, we're pretty isolated geographically. Otherwise
it feels like if we're not going with Australia, we're
just going to be left here by ourselves and doing
our own thing. Yeah, it's a fair point to make. Hey, listen,
this Jamie joseph appointment to coaching the All Blacks fifteen

(02:11):
is this is this a bit of a threat to
raise it? I don't think so. No. I had Jamie
Joseph just spoke to him just moments ago. Actually he's
going to jump on the sports talk show later tonight.
And actually I sort of joked and said, you know,
there's any perceived awardness about because you know, this All
Blacks fifteen is very much a developmental side. You know,
players will come and go from the All Blacks fifteen

(02:32):
while the All Blacks are on their end ofview tour
over in Europe. So basically you're at the mercy of
whatever Razer wants. You can drop a player back, you
can pull a player up to the top team. And
he just sort of laughed me off. He just you know,
he said, you know, it's a hard professional coaching mate.
You know, so I don't think to answer your question
it's a threat to and but I think it's a
really smart appointment by New Zealand Rugby. This is a
guy who knows a lot about the international game. He's

(02:53):
now back within our system with the Highlanders and still
has a lot to offer and can help either unearthed
and or develop some of our up and coming talents.
So I'm really excited to see what Jamie Joseph can
do with this All Blacks fifteenth. Good point, Nick, Thanks
very much. Nick the early hosting Sports Talk Tonight. For
more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news

(03:13):
talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.