Kiwi cricket legend Chris Cairns wants New Zealand teams added to the Big Bash League to intensify the trans-Tasman rivalry and revamp the Australian competition.
The former Black Caps all-rounder has proposed for one of two New Zealand-based teams to be brought into the BBL which would “raise the quality of the tournament” which has been under fire in recent years over its lack of star talent.
Writing in the New Zealand Herald, the 51-year-old former star who represented his nation 279 times in the international arena, suggested it was a restraint of trade for Kiwi players to be considered imports in the BBL.
Cairns said it would not be an overnight move but consideration should be given to his proposal.
“It’s worth looking at what New Zealand’s future could be in the southern hemisphere’s premier Twenty20 tournament. I reckon plenty of people would welcome the presence of a New Zealand team or two; no different to the Warriors in the NRL,” he wrote.
“Some will argue New Zealand already has a T20 tournament, courtesy of the Super Smash, and the Black Caps making the final of the World Cup last year means we’re doing just fine, thank you.”
New Zealand left-hander Colin Munro starred for the Perth Scorchers in their title-winning campaign this season while the likes of Black Caps legends Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum have been signed as imports in previous years.
“I find it intriguing New Zealanders in Australia play with an overseas designation for a Big Bash team,” Cairns added.
“Given New Zealanders can generally cross the Tasman to work with and alongside Australians in any form of employment, why can’t cricketers ply their trade in a similar fashion? Surely the law of labour trumps the law of cricket? This restraint of trade has yet to face a legal challenge by any New Zealand player. Why couldn’t those good enough to play in the Big Bash simply do so, like Kiwi league players in the NRL?
“The cream of New Zealand talent playing in the Big Bash – obviously when not on national duty – would raise the quality of the tournament. They would only be taking the place of the weakest Australians.”
Cairns was known as one of the most dynamic players during his career from 1989-2004 and would have been a valuable commodity in the Twenty20 era.
He nearly lost his life last August when he suffered a heart attack and then a spinal stroke after emergency surgery for a torn artery.
Adzy
Guest
Have a relegation system last place in bbl drops into super smash winner of super smash gets promoted to bbl no extra games would be required to work and it would draw attention from either side of the Tasman to each other's competition.
Precisely
Guest
Just bring back the six state teams. All but Melbourne and Sydney are already that situation, but with dumbass new brands. Sure, let NZ in as soon as NZ rugby allows Australian clubs into the NPC.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
Yes. But the type of game that it is can fall flat very quickly as well.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
Agree with most of your points (I can live with the power surge but not bothered if it goes, the one I most want to get rid of though is the Bash Boost, which rewards mediocrity). However, I'd like to keep the two Sydney teams if possible. The teams have developed their own fan bases and the local derbies are well attended. Can't speak for the Melbourne teams but imagine their fans might feel the same. You can achieve a shorter season even with 8 teams by just not playing everyone twice, they used to play 8 games (everyone once each plus an extra game), and did one season of 10 games and the BBL was hugely successful during those seasons.
#8
Roar Rookie
I'm not a fan yet of including NZ teams , for the moment at least (and I'm from NZ originally). I reckon 1) drop the power surge, and the super sub rules. They don't add anything to game except confusion. 2) Merge the Sixes and Thunder and the Stars and Renegades 3) then just run a home and away season (10 games each), semis, and one final. Simple!
Jacko
Roar Rookie
Too many games I think.
Micko
Roar Rookie
NZC can't afford it, so a highly implausible scenario. The NZ T20 comp gets around crowds of around a thousand attending, so not sure how they're going to start employing Australian players.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
It's a good idea but one that right now probably isn't high on the to do list. Firstly the BBL needs to be reduced in length not extended. If you bring in 2 more sides (Auckland and Christchurch for example) you'd only be extending the competition. With border restrictions the way they are currently it would also be nonsensical, Perth spent the whole season over east.
fabian gulino
Roar Rookie
great Idea Chris Cairns.
Targa
Roar Rookie
He still can't walk. Is doing some very intensive rehab.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Reasoning is sound, dropping an underachieving team like the Melbourne Stars to bring in a NZ team freshens the comp, but the real issue is when and how long it goes for. Sort that out first while travel restrictions are on, otherwise any NZ side becomes the same as Perth was this year, an East coast temporary resident. That will do nothing for NZ cricket.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
As others point out, the problem is that the BBL needs to be smaller not bigger. Having fewer games with more teams means less money for each club. But Cairns’s question about restraint of trade is an interesting one. It sounds very similar to the Kolpak case in the EU/UK which meant that players from countries with Association Agreements with the EU, who have the right to work in any EU country, could play cricket in any EU country without being considered an overseas player. In particular, players from South Africa could sign contracts with English county sides without having to be fielded as overseas players. So what’s to stop a Kiwi player, e.g. Williamson or Conway, being recruited by a BBL team on their Aussie list? You’d think CA and BBL would have thought of this in recent years, and maybe the legal position here is different. Also, a BBL club would probably have to break ranks and sign a Kiwi as an Australian first. The Kolpak system is now over in the UK following Brexit, but even then there were limits: a player had to have already played a certain number of international games, and they could not play for their own country while playing domestic UK cricket.
DTM
Roar Rookie
Sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for. If individual NZ players were allowed to play in the BBL as local players, it wouldn't make much difference to the BBL. However, that would mean Australian players would be able to play in the Super Smash as local players. Given Australia's larger population, you would think that quite quickly, the teams in the Super Smash would be dominated by Australian players. This would mean many up and coming Kiwi's would miss out on contracts and it would be to the detriment of NZ cricket in general. If you included NZ teams in the BBL, this would destroy the Super Smash whilst making the BBL marginally stronger. Would be the same if Australia fielded a team in the IPL. Keep domestic competitions, domestic.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Good to know Chris is well again. Wasn't he crook?
Matthew
Roar Rookie
Please no. I want it to remain an Australian based competition. Are we incapable of running just tournaments in Australia? I have no desire to see my team fly ever further to another country to play Cricket ( In Perth).
Paul
Roar Guru
If this tournament is treated as sports entertainment, I'd assume the BBL could have teams from the West Indies, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc if it wanted and could get CA to agree, but that doesn't fix the inherent problems; getting top class players to play and keeping people interested by making the tournament shorter in duration than it currently is.
jamesb
Roar Guru
The thing is if NZ teams are added, its unlikely the length of the BBL would be reduced. The length of the BBL competition needs to be reduced. CA needs to prioritize the SS. At the moment, the SS is treated as a backwater competition and it will eventually effect the quality of the Australian test side. With the BBL, less is more.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Apart from the Otago Volts who really struggled this year (my team :crying:), all the other NZ teams are about the same in strength as the Australian ones. ND has amazing bowling strength, Wellington has amazing batting strength, while Canterbury, CD, and Auckland are all pretty decent.
Targa
Roar Rookie
The Auckland Aces have a decent team too though - Guptill, Chapman, Phillips, Jamieson, Ferguson and exciting 20 year-old leggie Astok.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Need a team in Hamilton, not Auckland. Northern Districts which won the SuperSmash has an absolutely stacked team too - Seifert, Williamson, De Grandhomme, Santner, Sodhi, Boult, Southee etc. Neil Wagner can't get a game for them.