Opinion: Stay away from the Big Bash NZC

New Zealand sports seem to be making similar mistakes.

It’s no secret that NPC is not the competition it once was, and it’s affected how many young people are playing rugby. In the heart of rugby, Canterbury, union has been on a downward trend since COVID hit, right along with the NPC competition. Resources were pumped into the All Blacks and high performance teams. At the time this was good, but what New Zealand Rugby is realising now is the importance of the grassroots game.

Just look to the success of the NPC tKis year, it’s back on the improve, as the game tries to win back the younger population. You need that side of it, bringing back the crowds and the love for the game.

Now cricket is looking to make the big money move at the expense of its local and community game. New Zealand Cricket is currently exploring entering a Kiwi Big Bash League team. 

Sure, the BBL squashes the NZ’s local T20 competition, Super Smash, in money and size, but it’s not Kiwi players in local cities. When your big name players all flock overseas, or ditch these smaller games, people don’t go to watch.

Blackcap Daryl Mitchell is against the idea of a BBL team. Mitchell wants NZC to focus on growing its own tournaments and producing its own talent, because there is lots of it in New Zealand.

He’s not wrong. Yes, the Blackcaps don’t quite stand on top of the cricketing world all the time, but there is no shortage of talent coming through. They’ve lost the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee to retirement, but up steps the next. As much as many New Zealanders like to bag the side, they win. It’s not only last month they dispatched an England side, who have been thought to be the best since 2011. 

Mitchell makes a strong point, we need local competitions, and the stronger the local cricket the stronger the sides at the other end of the spectrum are.

Rugby is finding that out the hard way. Cricket needs to do the same.