NZ Cricket Faces $1.8 million loss with a smile

New Zealand Cricket face a loss of $1.8 million in the coming season, but the NZC chief executive Christopher Doig is not heading for the hills.

Speaking at a media briefing in Auckland today, Doig said that because of the uneven quality of the international teams which tour New Zealand, some seasons (which included tours from Australia or England) would make a big profit, and others a hefty loss.

Doig said that the 2000-2001 season contained tours by Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and these countries could not attract the same overseas television revenue developed by countries such as England and India.

NZC might gain $US50,000 for the television rights of a home Test against Zimbabwe, but would receive 20 or 30 times that much for an England or Indian Test.

The staging of the CricInfo Women's World Cup in the Lincoln-Christchurch area would cost NZC about $800,000.

The rest of the $1.8 million loss might well come from the estimated $1 million which NZC will put into the extended and costly Shell Trophy domestic competition, with the six teams playing two full rounds of four-day matches.

Other items from the Doig briefing included:

The New Zealand men's team will have a hectic programme in July 2001 to March 2002. They will tour Sri Lanka in June-July, Pakistan in September-October, Australia in November-December-January, and host tours from Bangladesh and England. This will be Bangladesh's first overseas tour, and will contain two Tests and three One-Day Internationals in December-January, while England will play three Tests and five or six One-Day Internationals in February-March 2002.

Max cricket, played on a reduced schedule this summer, may retain an early, but minor role in the New Zealand home season. Doig said there was the danger of Max (and the former Conference cricket) over-shadowing other domestic cricket. NZC saw Max as an early-season method of promoting cricket in the smaller centres, and benefiting from the public and television attention given to the playing the semi-finals and final on a weekend at one venue.

New Zealand and India plan to set up annual and reciprocal academy team tours after the outstanding success of the New Zealand Academy tour of India earlier this year.