Doig confident 10-year plan will be accepted

Good news on the playing front in Nairobi was tempered on the administration side for New Zealand Cricket chief executive Christopher Doig.

Doig returned home today from the meeting of chief executives called by the International Cricket Council in conjunction with the ICC KnockOut tournament held in Nairobi.

New Zealand won the tournament by beating India by four wickets in the final, its first international tournament win since attending its first World Cup tournament in 1975.

On the administrative front, Doig was waiting to hear today if support for his 10-year plan of touring had been accepted by the ICC board at its meeting which followed the chief executives' meeting.

"I'm pretty confident it will be accepted and if it is it will be fantastic for New Zealand cricket," he said.

During the meeting representatives from the World Sport Group and NewsCorp, who have long term involvement in the future marketing of cricket in the world, spoke of their intentions.

Doig said from what he heard, the plans fitted in with what he had been trying to develop in the 10-year plan he has been refining in recent years.

However, his hope that player eligibility laws be slackened to allow only a two-year qualification period instead of the three at the moment.

"We came second on that one," Doig said.

South Africa had been especially concerned about the move and the effects on its cricket so another paper is to be prepared on the matter.