December 3, 2024 • 8 mins
Craig Cumming, the former New Zealand batter, has been appointed as head coach of the Blaze for their first season affiliated to Nottinghamshire as part of the Tier 1 women's domestic structure.
Cumming has enjoyed success in his home country with Otago Sparks, leading them to two 50-over Hallyburton Johnstone titles in four years. He will arrive in the UK in the new year, after the conclusion of the Super Smash T20 competition.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, former New Zealand cricketer and now currently successful coach
of the Otago Sparks has had I guess a promotion
really set to become the head coach of the nottingham
Shire Blaze. I think it is in the UK, a
Tier one woman's domestic team. He joins us this morning, Craig,
good morning in congrats.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Yeah, good morning b K. Yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Here.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It's it's been a sittle bit of a little last
twenty four hours with it being announced over in England
and announced here. So he's been spitting a little bit
but no really exciting opportunity for me to go enjoys
join the Niningham Blaze woman's side, the high performing team.
That's where I was last this year for a month.
I went over and did a bit of PD over
(00:49):
the year and without any really expectations that I was
going to end up here. I didn't know the head
coach was going to move on, but no been lucky
enough to be successful BK. So shift over to the
UK and become the number one UK correspondent for.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So when do you when do you hear it away.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I'm going to be coaching through to the end of
the Super Smash, so the end of January, hopefully start
of February with the final and then pretty much got
to get the visa sorted, but hopefully jump on the
on the plane early foreb and be over there. They've
got full time contract to players, they've got a full
time program, so that that training now BK. But get
there for sort of five weeks of pre season and
(01:32):
then they go to Abadabbi for a preseason tour. So
the season starts about the twentieth of Eightril, so yeah,
bit of time to still feed on the ground here,
still got plenty to do and with the sparks, but yeah,
also pretty exciting to know that it's going to be
a new chapter for myself and my wife. And you've
got a three year contract. So finger crossed. I do
(01:53):
a good job and I can be there.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Will you Will you stay over there as well or
will you come home at the end of the summer
over there?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
No no full time, so they stay over there. They
play through to the end of September and you get
you know, maybe a month off and then then know
you beck into sort of pre season and you've got
players who you know, we've got I think in the
twenty one full time contracted players, so including five England
players so part of your javas as well as a
couple of players who play for Scotland. And that's so
(02:22):
your job is to obviously help keep them prepared and
keep them working and keep them improving outside of your
own playing programs. So no, it's full time. I'll be
putting home obviously for maybe a small holiday and catch
up with the family, but no, it's it's a full
time gig and yep, going to get the visa for
three four years, so yeah, it's yeah, it's an interesting time.
(02:44):
It's not something I ever thought i'd be doing. K
I've never been a massive planner of what you do
in your life. I sort of want to just enjoy
my day, make sure I'm passionate and got some desire,
and you know, it's taken me to all different things,
including sitting and hosting when you're away. So yeah, that's
one thing. One thing I walk thisst is sitting on me,
stitting there with Mark when you go away and having
(03:06):
a couple of weeks of radio. A couple of times
a year so but now really exciting opportunity. But it
was also a pretty emotional sad day. Well, ween, I
had to tell the Sparks because this is a team
that means the world to me, and the players are
and I'm you know, I know a lot of people
say they are the best humans in the world, so
saying them and telling them that I'll believing was really
(03:27):
hard and there was a fear of emotion. But they
they are the reason I coach, and they are the
reason I've got this opportunity, So I'll be forever indebted
to the Sparks and the O Tiger.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Spak's looking pretty good on the Halliburton Johnson Trophy matches.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Yeah, yeah, it's very good start. We've had four wins.
So it's not so much that that I get excited about.
I think, you know, I'll be excited by the cricket
that we're playing with. Been scoring runs and we've been
taking wickets. Our fielding has been excellent. So we've put
a lot of hard work and over the last few years,
and you know, the players are growing, They're all getting
a bit more mature and a little bit older and
getting high skilled. So the most important thing is you
(04:02):
want to go out and put that on the cricket field.
And I think we've set some really good standards for
the season. Or so. We've got this week end off
and then next weekend we play at Northern Districts and
they've been going really well as well, and they're actually
a really fast, improving team under Pete bar and so
you know, we're looking forward to taking them on in
a couple of weeks time. And then we have a
break and we get into the old silly season of
Super Smash and you start again, and you know, I
(04:25):
think everyone's looking forward to that Christmas New Year period
into January, playing twenty twenty around great parts of the world.
I saw in our calendar. The great thing as we
get to go to Bay Oval, b K. I get
to come to my favorite ground and Tod Honor and
get to play there. So that's always a highlight.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Fantastic. We'll come over and say hi to you. Okay,
let's talk about the ends game the black Caps, well,
losing by eight wickets to England. What did you make
of that first Test?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
They just end up bullying us in the end of
I think BK we hit our opportunities. And I was
actually talking to Jacob warm yesterday and from a bowling
point of view and the fielding of you, what do
they put down five or six catches and they make
your pay Test cricket sometimes some players don't make your
pay because they're aggressive. I mean Harry Brook is not
one player you want to give you four or five opportunities.
(05:12):
So they're disappointed, are sitting back probably scratching their heads, knowing, well,
we might have done enough here, but the other day
we actually got soundly beaten. So it just shows what
England can do to you. They're a team that once
they get momentum, they just keep going and they take
the game. It's a little bit like yes, great Australian
side early two thousands, if you give them a chance,
(05:33):
they take the game away. And we need to get better,
you know, things like catching. You just expect this, but
capt side to be good at so yeah, and they
trained hard. They know no one means to drop a catch.
I mean Tom Latham dropped three.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
The question is if the mind was thinking about other
things when it comes to captain sy But no, the
good thing is the three Test match series they've got
an opportunity to bounce back, and they'll be working really
hard to do that.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Can you see them making many changes for the second
test starting on Friday and Wellington.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Oh, I've heard that Mitchell Satner might be coming into
the mix. From what we go, them with three seamers
and then two spinners, which might not be a bad thing.
I think you've got to change things. With four seamas,
you're very much the same and if they start getting
on top of you, you replace a seema with a sema.
So maybe you know. Unfortunately for Nathan Smith, he might
(06:23):
just miss out because of balance, and that gives you
the offspin of Phillips, but also the left art spin
of Satna. He batted. Well, we know that, so I'd
say that will be the only one. I don't think
they're going to pick will Young. I think they'll give
Conway another opportunity, so that would be the only one,
and from what I've read, that will be the only one.
I think it'll be a good one, just to create
(06:43):
a little bit more variation in the babbling attack. The
basin turned last time we've played there, but I remember
that would have been probably in February March. They're playing
before Christmas, so pitchers never quite dry out as quick
as this time of year. So but in saying that,
I think they need the variation and what we're doing
when it comes to our bluing attack.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And news this morning, both teams were charged with slower
over rates. What's your take on the slower overrates? I
mean the test did finish a day early.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, it's an interesting one because, yeah, don't get me wrong,
it drives everyone mad and we want to make sure
that we're getting the overs in and they need to
have more control. I'd like to see the umpires tell
the twelfth Man to get back off. They don't need
to change gloves every five overs. And once upon a
time we only used to have one pair of gloves BK,
so we didn't get to change them. You know. Well,
(07:32):
little things like that, I think they can change. We've
got to remember it's an entertainment package. People want to
be able to get this thing. But I don't think
many people would left the ground feeling like they've been
short changed any of the days. But yet we do
need to fix it. I think they can put a
whole lot of little things they can just change. Like
I say, you don't. If you can't bat for an
hour before drinks not have a drink, well then it's
(07:53):
Test cricket. That's part of the job. Little things like
that might get us another three or four overs. The
big thing for New Yellanders they you know, they lost
the Test, but if they had any chance of trying
to make the World Championship, you know they probably you know,
they can't afford to go backwards. But also fines don't
mean anything. I mean, that's that's not going to impact
the players. So yeah, I just maybe a little bit
(08:14):
more leadership with the Empires, make sure they keep sticking
to you know, the time zones. And also yeah, a
bit more responsibility on the players. Let them realize, you know,
paple are paying good money to come. If you're finished
with a day early, it's not like it's had an
impact on the game. So it's the balance between the two.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Graig, thanks for joining us this morning again, congratulations on
the promotion and enjoy the weekend off mate.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Thank you, b K. I appreciate it great.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Coming joining us here on gold Sport, the Country Sport Breakfast.
The new coach of the nottingham Shere Blaze going into
next
The Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, former New Zealand cricketer and now currently successful coach
of the Otago Sparks has had I guess a promotion
really set to become the head coach of the nottingham
Shire Blaze. I think it is in the UK, a
Tier one woman's domestic team. He joins us this morning, Craig,
good morning in congrats.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Yeah, good morning b K. Yeah, thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Here.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
It's it's been a sittle bit of a little last
twenty four hours with it being announced over in England
and announced here. So he's been spitting a little bit
but no really exciting opportunity for me to go enjoys
join the Niningham Blaze woman's side, the high performing team.
That's where I was last this year for a month.
I went over and did a bit of PD over
(00:49):
the year and without any really expectations that I was
going to end up here. I didn't know the head
coach was going to move on, but no been lucky
enough to be successful BK. So shift over to the
UK and become the number one UK correspondent for.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So when do you when do you hear it away.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I'm going to be coaching through to the end of
the Super Smash, so the end of January, hopefully start
of February with the final and then pretty much got
to get the visa sorted, but hopefully jump on the
on the plane early foreb and be over there. They've
got full time contract to players, they've got a full
time program, so that that training now BK. But get
there for sort of five weeks of pre season and
(01:32):
then they go to Abadabbi for a preseason tour. So
the season starts about the twentieth of Eightril, so yeah,
bit of time to still feed on the ground here,
still got plenty to do and with the sparks, but yeah,
also pretty exciting to know that it's going to be
a new chapter for myself and my wife. And you've
got a three year contract. So finger crossed. I do
(01:53):
a good job and I can be there.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Will you Will you stay over there as well or
will you come home at the end of the summer
over there?
Speaker 1 (02:00):
No no full time, so they stay over there. They
play through to the end of September and you get
you know, maybe a month off and then then know
you beck into sort of pre season and you've got
players who you know, we've got I think in the
twenty one full time contracted players, so including five England
players so part of your javas as well as a
couple of players who play for Scotland. And that's so
(02:22):
your job is to obviously help keep them prepared and
keep them working and keep them improving outside of your
own playing programs. So no, it's full time. I'll be
putting home obviously for maybe a small holiday and catch
up with the family, but no, it's it's a full
time gig and yep, going to get the visa for
three four years, so yeah, it's yeah, it's an interesting time.
(02:44):
It's not something I ever thought i'd be doing. K
I've never been a massive planner of what you do
in your life. I sort of want to just enjoy
my day, make sure I'm passionate and got some desire,
and you know, it's taken me to all different things,
including sitting and hosting when you're away. So yeah, that's
one thing. One thing I walk thisst is sitting on me,
stitting there with Mark when you go away and having
(03:06):
a couple of weeks of radio. A couple of times
a year so but now really exciting opportunity. But it
was also a pretty emotional sad day. Well, ween, I
had to tell the Sparks because this is a team
that means the world to me, and the players are
and I'm you know, I know a lot of people
say they are the best humans in the world, so
saying them and telling them that I'll believing was really
(03:27):
hard and there was a fear of emotion. But they
they are the reason I coach, and they are the
reason I've got this opportunity, So I'll be forever indebted
to the Sparks and the O Tiger.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Spak's looking pretty good on the Halliburton Johnson Trophy matches.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Yeah, yeah, it's very good start. We've had four wins.
So it's not so much that that I get excited about.
I think, you know, I'll be excited by the cricket
that we're playing with. Been scoring runs and we've been
taking wickets. Our fielding has been excellent. So we've put
a lot of hard work and over the last few years,
and you know, the players are growing, They're all getting
a bit more mature and a little bit older and
getting high skilled. So the most important thing is you
(04:02):
want to go out and put that on the cricket field.
And I think we've set some really good standards for
the season. Or so. We've got this week end off
and then next weekend we play at Northern Districts and
they've been going really well as well, and they're actually
a really fast, improving team under Pete bar and so
you know, we're looking forward to taking them on in
a couple of weeks time. And then we have a
break and we get into the old silly season of
Super Smash and you start again, and you know, I
(04:25):
think everyone's looking forward to that Christmas New Year period
into January, playing twenty twenty around great parts of the world.
I saw in our calendar. The great thing as we
get to go to Bay Oval, b K. I get
to come to my favorite ground and Tod Honor and
get to play there. So that's always a highlight.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Fantastic. We'll come over and say hi to you. Okay,
let's talk about the ends game the black Caps, well,
losing by eight wickets to England. What did you make
of that first Test?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
They just end up bullying us in the end of
I think BK we hit our opportunities. And I was
actually talking to Jacob warm yesterday and from a bowling
point of view and the fielding of you, what do
they put down five or six catches and they make
your pay Test cricket sometimes some players don't make your
pay because they're aggressive. I mean Harry Brook is not
one player you want to give you four or five opportunities.
(05:12):
So they're disappointed, are sitting back probably scratching their heads, knowing, well,
we might have done enough here, but the other day
we actually got soundly beaten. So it just shows what
England can do to you. They're a team that once
they get momentum, they just keep going and they take
the game. It's a little bit like yes, great Australian
side early two thousands, if you give them a chance,
(05:33):
they take the game away. And we need to get better,
you know, things like catching. You just expect this, but
capt side to be good at so yeah, and they
trained hard. They know no one means to drop a catch.
I mean Tom Latham dropped three.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
You know.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
The question is if the mind was thinking about other
things when it comes to captain sy But no, the
good thing is the three Test match series they've got
an opportunity to bounce back, and they'll be working really
hard to do that.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Can you see them making many changes for the second
test starting on Friday and Wellington.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Oh, I've heard that Mitchell Satner might be coming into
the mix. From what we go, them with three seamers
and then two spinners, which might not be a bad thing.
I think you've got to change things. With four seamas,
you're very much the same and if they start getting
on top of you, you replace a seema with a sema.
So maybe you know. Unfortunately for Nathan Smith, he might
(06:23):
just miss out because of balance, and that gives you
the offspin of Phillips, but also the left art spin
of Satna. He batted. Well, we know that, so I'd
say that will be the only one. I don't think
they're going to pick will Young. I think they'll give
Conway another opportunity, so that would be the only one,
and from what I've read, that will be the only one.
I think it'll be a good one, just to create
(06:43):
a little bit more variation in the babbling attack. The
basin turned last time we've played there, but I remember
that would have been probably in February March. They're playing
before Christmas, so pitchers never quite dry out as quick
as this time of year. So but in saying that,
I think they need the variation and what we're doing
when it comes to our bluing attack.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
And news this morning, both teams were charged with slower
over rates. What's your take on the slower overrates? I
mean the test did finish a day early.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, it's an interesting one because, yeah, don't get me wrong,
it drives everyone mad and we want to make sure
that we're getting the overs in and they need to
have more control. I'd like to see the umpires tell
the twelfth Man to get back off. They don't need
to change gloves every five overs. And once upon a
time we only used to have one pair of gloves BK,
so we didn't get to change them. You know. Well,
(07:32):
little things like that, I think they can change. We've
got to remember it's an entertainment package. People want to
be able to get this thing. But I don't think
many people would left the ground feeling like they've been
short changed any of the days. But yet we do
need to fix it. I think they can put a
whole lot of little things they can just change. Like
I say, you don't. If you can't bat for an
hour before drinks not have a drink, well then it's
(07:53):
Test cricket. That's part of the job. Little things like
that might get us another three or four overs. The
big thing for New Yellanders they you know, they lost
the Test, but if they had any chance of trying
to make the World Championship, you know they probably you know,
they can't afford to go backwards. But also fines don't
mean anything. I mean, that's that's not going to impact
the players. So yeah, I just maybe a little bit
(08:14):
more leadership with the Empires, make sure they keep sticking
to you know, the time zones. And also yeah, a
bit more responsibility on the players. Let them realize, you know,
paple are paying good money to come. If you're finished
with a day early, it's not like it's had an
impact on the game. So it's the balance between the two.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Graig, thanks for joining us this morning again, congratulations on
the promotion and enjoy the weekend off mate.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
Thank you, b K. I appreciate it great.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Coming joining us here on gold Sport, the Country Sport Breakfast.
The new coach of the nottingham Shere Blaze going into
next
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