Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Andrew Alderson: Newstalk ZB Sports Reader ahead of the Indian cricket tour

Transcript

Andrew Alderson: Newstalk ZB Sports Reader ahead of the Indian cricket tour · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: First, the Blackcaps open their five-match T20 series against India.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: This is Christchurch. This is tonight's first game at Hagley Oval.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Game time, a bit of an issue. If you're here,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: of course, it's all designed for India, but starting 8pm,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: you won't leave till 11.30 at night. Andrew Alderson, Newstalk
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: ZB Sports, is with us this morning. Hey, Andrew. Greetings, Ryan. Yes,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: it'll be a late one for us.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Yes, I think that's a tricky proposition, isn't it? You've
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: got to work in with India and their broadcast schedules.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: But I think if you're taking a family along to
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: the ground on a Thursday night, school night, and you're
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: getting back at 11.30, I mean, it's hardly ideal. I mean,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: it'll be really chilly, I imagine, still, potentially in October.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: I mean, hardened souls down in Christchurch. But yeah, not ideal.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: But that deal's worth a pretty penny, isn't it? Sony
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Pictures Network's India... This deal that they've signed means that
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: they can forecast a $ 10 million-plus surplus for the next
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: financial year at Cricket New Zealand.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: That's why you've got to be prepared to take a
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: thermos and a warm woolen blanket. Isn't it? How many
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: people would go? This is just the golden egg, isn't it?
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: When India arrive for a tour, with the broadcast rights
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: as they are, and you can sell it back to India,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: there's just merchandising, there's everything involved with that. I mean,
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: the turnstiles were as well. India is such a presence
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: around the world and people will be heading along. So, yeah,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: I mean, a number of those games already sold out,
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: the white ball games and then moving on to the
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: two test matches in Christchurch and Wellington. So, yeah, it's
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: just such an amazing opportunity for New Zealand cricket to,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: I guess, reap the rewards.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Totally. Presumably there will be more people watching this in
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: India than there are people in New Zealand. So that's
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: the balance, isn't it?
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: Exactly, exactly. I mean, it's not, I suppose, ideal even there.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: It's mid-afternoon.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: It's 12.30, their time at start. I mean, that's where.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: The New Zealand time zone is not ideal, I suppose,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: for cricket in some of these other parts of the world,
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: but rewarding nonetheless.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: What's going to actually happen on the pitch?
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Well, just Mitchell Santner, New Zealand skipper, not expecting too
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: much in terms of spin conditions there, but India's well
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: balanced in terms of pace bowling that now. I mean,
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: this is, A reflection, too, I think, of how the
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: game's developed with T20. I mean, that's probably one of
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: the greatest changes in the game this century is the
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: fact that you've got the IPL from 2008. And these
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: guys already know each other quite well. And it's hard
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: to get that, I guess, point of advantage as a result.
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: But expecting a bit of pace, I think, in the wickets.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: And I think there'll be, yeah, there'll be plenty of
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: action and highlight. It'll be almost a permanent highlight. It's real,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: I think, now with T20 the way it is. and
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: so much to offer. I mean, Suryavachi, the young fella,
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: teenager still in the Indian side, probably one to watch
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: out for.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Every time I interview a cricketer, they're always knackered because
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: they just work them to the bone. I mean, they're
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: the most overworked athletes in the world, aren't they? They
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: just go from competition to competition to competition.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's the way it's become, and you've got
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: this cluttered calendar. It's probably why, I mean, it's a
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: wider issue, but you need this global window or global calendar,
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: a bit like football have with internationals and then your
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: franchise leagues, but no... Genuine progress has been made on
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: that in recent times. But that's why you've got this,
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: you know, banking up, you know, going from league to
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: league to league and then trying to fit the actual
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: internationals around that, which is a. Well, it seems a
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: perennial problem.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: It does. If you're a T20 player, are you more
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: prone to injury? Do you have a shorter lifespan? Because
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: you're hitting harder and faster and more often, aren't you?
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: I would assume there'd be a higher injury rate.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, although players are fairly fit and everything now. I mean,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: I think that they've got to balance it out. But
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: in cricket, it's not the most natural of physical disciplines,
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: I think. It would be common to admit with bowling, batting,
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: et cetera, and your alignment. But... Yeah, I think it
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: just comes down to that general fitness really and being
• 3:52
  Speaker 2: able to try and maintain that. Good stuff.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: We'll look forward to your coverage. Andrew Alderson, Newstalk ZB Sport.