Snedden looks to grassroots legacy

Martin Snedden, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said when releasing the strategy for the next four years, known as "Pushing the Boundaries" that it was his hope that whenever his job is completed the legacy would be that the grassroots development now underway was completed successfully.

He told Wisden Cricinfo he wanted the infrastructure of cricket at all levels, but especially at the grassroots, to be of such good quality that all people enjoyed being part of the game.

"We have to ensure that whatever we do is sustainable, not just quick fix solutions, but sustainable," he said. Snedden said finding more money was not the only way to overcome challenges and he encouraged greater use of resources so that non-financial solutions were sometimes sought for problems.

"It is remarkable what you can do when you turn your mind to something. We love the underdog tag in New Zealand, and we are seeking to take the cricket world by stealth," he said.

The whole strategy programme had been an 18-month process and it centred on ensuring that the limitations of population and location shouldn't prevent New Zealand achieving. Taking on the challenges was a state of mind.

Snedden said nothing in the plan was taken in isolation, it was all inter-linked. One of the key areas was assisting the Major Associations to deliver the sort of cricket environment that NZC wanted at all levels of the game. "We are key partners in doing that and we all acknowledge that we have got to continue doing better."