Wellington – New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Wednesday dismissed fears it will miss out under a proposed shake-up of the world game, with board member Martin Snedden saying the deal was “pretty good” for the organisation.
Snedden, in Dubai representing New Zealand at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting discussing the game's structure and governance, said NZC's finances would receive a significant boost under the plan put forward by India, England and Australia.
He also assured fans the Black Caps' playing schedule would not be weakened if the changes were adopted, saying New Zealand had negotiated a strong touring programme with the so-called “Big Three” covering all formats of the game.
“There was a lot of speculation in the media last week that we would get some crumbs from the big guys and just end up playing mainly the small guys,” he told New Zealand's Radio LiveSport.
“That's not going to happen. We've locked in good commitments from Australia, England and India through that 10-year period (to 2023).”
Snedden said the playing schedule was essentially the same as that outlined under the ICC's Future Tours Programme, which the governing body has agreed to scrap.
He said NZC was set to receive revenues of US$70-100 million from the ICC between 2015 and 2023 under the planned reforms, compared to the US$52 million it had received in the past eight years.
“Things have come a long way from where they started,” he said. “Where they're sitting right now, they're looking pretty good for us.”
The impetus for change has largely come from India, which generates 80 percent of ICC revenue.
The ICC meeting wrapped up in Dubai on Tuesday with the governing body saying it has “unanimous support” for the principles behind the planned changes, which would give India, England and Australia a greater say in the running of the world game.
The ICC said it was planning another meeting in February to work out details of the new structure. – Sapa-AFP