God defend New Zealand (cricket)

GUEST POST BY JEREMY BROWN

"Grrr. Arrrggh." I may not share the same eloquence, international contacts or sway with the ladies, but when Holden picked up the receiver and called for backup, it was time to put up or shut up.

A previous Holden post looked into the changing landscape of the international game under influence of 2020 cricket, a shrewd observer will note his fingers firmly on the pulse. But for a game steeped in tradition, I don't think anyone could have foreseen how quickly things have moved in just two months.

The dangerous monster Holden spoke of has indeed broken its shackles and gone on a rampage, devouring all in its wretched path of destruction. Shane Warne and the Rajasthan Royals announcing this past week that they have signed a "global sport alliance", though what's sporting about it is rather unclear.

The Rajasthan Royals have "joined forces" with Hampshire, Cape Cobras, and Trinidad & Tobago, with the Victoria Bushrangers also rumoured to be ready to sign up. What this means for the teams involved is that they will all carry the "Royals" moniker and eventually even play in the same uniforms. How such a venture could play out at the Champions League should all of these teams qualify seems truly farcical.

Even at the local level in England with Hampshire no longer the Hawks, a new marketing low will be reached when they play rivals the Worcestershire Royals.

How did cricket turn a great idea into a flatliner? What made the Champions League so attractive was the colour and flavour brought from the far reaches of the cricketing world. Now we are told we only want one flavour and it's blueberry. "But I don't like blueberry," I cry. "Tough," says Manoj Badale, somehow serving it up while writhing around in a big pile of money.

And now that such a venture has broken the gate before the hired hands at the ICC had a chance to shore up the fenceline, we can expect other IPL franchises to follow suit. And we here in New Zealand will not be immune. The Rajasthan Royals announced plans to target teams in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and God's own.

Take our mighty Central Districts Stags, winners of this year's HRV Cup. Resplendent in their traditional green uniforms (with their "oh so clever" Stag logo featuring a horn for every province they represent), CD could conceivably become the Central Kings Punjab XI. "Oh genius!" I cry before bursting into a boisterous guffaw. It may just be me, but I fail to see how the Central Kings Punjab XI effectively represents me or my district. I can't wait to hear the latest rather strange justification that gets touted when there's money to be made: "It's not a marketing nightmare, it's a fabulous opportunity!" "An opportunity to sell out our domestic identity for some magic beans."

I grumble derisively. Who needs magic beans? I've tried them, they're rubbish. Our domestic Twenty20 tournament was nothing if not a success. Big crowds, new venues, a high standard of competition. Sure I could nitpick that the competition was too long, there weren't enough international players and the coverage was sporadic, but we all know bums on seats don't lie when it comes to measuring success. And off we send our proud champions to take on the world, brilliant.

It's a shame to think that such success could be so short-lived.

If New Zealand cricket sells us out to India, it will be under the guise of preventing our best players from being headhunted as mercenaries, but in truth they would be aiming both barrels at both feet. By allowing global juggernauts to evolve, clubs will replace country as pride of place. The best players will play for cashed-up clubs and maybe return to wear their country's colours for World Cups - maybe. The power and control of world cricket will forever shift from the countries who play the game, to the clubs that profit from it.

The face of cricket worldwide is changing and unfortunately for New Zealand every outcome appears to be a bad one for us. We'll either lose our identity or lose our best players. The flow-on effects of both on our national game will be worn by our future players.

Under the global club model, a player like Kane Williamson would have been plucked and sent to India long ago. That could possibly be great for him, but a disaster for our other young players who don't get to push themselves against the best. Under the influence of a club who has paid for his cricket tuition, he may never choose to don the silver fern and represent his country - he could actually be contractually prevented from doing so.

It's a knife edge on which we sit. Cricket has never before had the opportunity to rival other major sports and reach out to new audiences on such a global level, never before have players had the opportunity to earn as much, and never before has New Zealand cricket been so threatened. Every player and supporter in this country at every level should be aware of the threat posed to us all by this rampaging beastie.

The ICC, our protector against this great monster, sits like an idle king in his castle as the lands are overrun and the villages pillaged. One servant did say they thought they heard him quietly mutter in a polite British accent: "How dare you?" before retiring for nap time, sword sheathed to prevent any scratches. But alas, I fear even our nimble king will be devoured by the insatiable appetite of this greedy goliath.

God defend New Zealand? That might be a bit of a stretch.

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