I confess I love my cricket.
I was an average player who realised early that I would not play at the top level. I played at social level until I was 45 years old and loved it.
Today my involvement is on the administration side.
I was on the Board of Auckland Cricket for about ten years and completed my term as its as Chairman. Since 2007, I am a Director on the board of New Zealand Cricket (NZC)
We have witnessed massive changes in world of cricket, with huge commercial opportunities on offer.
NZC has gone from strength to strength in growing revenue and developing relationships, systems and players. Although we are not achieving as much as we should at the top level, we are certainly punching above our weight.
India, on the other hand, has so much talent, so many brilliant players and so much depth that we need to be very smart, very strategic and have a bit of luck to beat them.
India’s long-term strategy of appointing overseas coaches has been very productive. The influence of Dennis Lillee, John Wright and Gary Kirstin has been significant.
People should not underestimate the input of David Trist in Pune, Stephen Fleming in Chennai, Sir Richard Hadlee and Steve Rixon in various test matches in India.
However, who becomes the superstar is more than just down to one coach.
I have visited India on a number of occasions and watched cricket. I love that country, the environment, people and food. The contrast to New Zealand makes it exciting for a middle class white boy from Christchurch (now Auckland).
During my last visit, I had the pleasure of attending the semifinals and the final of IPL 2010. What an experience it was!
The magic, the showbiz, the excitement, I loved them all.
It was stage-managed. It did have the drama of Lallit Modi, the issue of bombs in Bangalore and the fear of terrorism.
Strangely, that seemed normal and acceptable. It seemed almost part of life.
The authorities were aware of it and the dealt with it as life goes on.
I am left with some brilliant memories such as the time it took to get from my hotel to the Ground, the traffic, the support for ‘Mumbai Indians’ and the hotel staff asking for Mumbai Indians Flags.
There is more to be said- such as sitting behind Sachin Tendulker’s son while the master was batting, being hit by a flag as Sachin’s son celebrated his dad hitting a boundary, the Spider camera racing above the field on wires to get a close up and so on.
Among the items that fascinated me was the excitement of the crowd every time a ball was driven to the boundry, uniformed guards with guns and the wealth of the IPL owners, who flew in their helicopters or sailed in their own boats.
Overall, it was a carnival of cricket and people loved, wanting more.
I cannot wait until next year.
Meanwhile, I watch with interest the test matches between the Black Caps and India. Our performance in the First Test was good. Let us hope we can do better in the Second Test.
In summary, the extent, diversity, drama and fun make India unique.
The performance by the New Zealand Black Caps in their First Test against India was good. Let us hope that we can do better in the Second Test, due to begin (at the time of writing) on November 12.
Brent King is a Director of New Zealand Cricket, and Managing Director of the Auckland based Investment Research Group Ltd. Phone (09) 3040145 or 0800-474-669.
www.irg.co.nz
