Bledisloe Cup for cricket appeals but unlikely in the short term

New Zealand Cricket is keen to see Melbourne's Colonial Stadium used as a vehicle to promote a Bledisloe Cup-style competition with Australia.

The prospect was first discussed four years ago at board level, but so far NZC has been unable to convince the Australians of the worth of such a series.

NZC chief executive Christopher Doig said: "There is always the difficulty of trying to fit it into congested seasons.

"The other problem is that it would always be held in Australia."

However, the prospect of a series being tied in with a Bledisloe Cup match if it was played in Melbourne, with the cricket on the Friday and Sunday nights, appealed to Doig.

"It would be fantastic, there is no question of that. I'm excited by that prospect.

"At the same time it would be fair to say that Australia is less keen than we are about it. Their needs are different to ours," he said.

There was also the revenue question. Matches between South Africa and Australia would be easier to sell for television rights to other countries than Australia-New Zealand.

"We've got to be realistic, there's not the same television market for New Zealand," Doig said.

Australia and South Africa have formed a natural rivalry since South Africa's readmission to international cricket in 1992. And their outstanding semi-final match in the last World Cup highlighted that.

Prospects are that a trans-Tasman series could not be organised before 2002. Next year Australia will be committed throughout the winter on its Ashes tour while New Zealand is scheduled to have a full tour of Australia later that summer.