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Full Noise by SN
'Let's stop pretending': South Africa T20 series reveals fears for New Zealand's future home summers
Ian Smith • March 23rd, 2026 10:54 am
Keshav Maharaj and Jimmy Neesham | Photo: Kerry Marshall/Photosport
Look, I'm a Blackcaps fan and I'll back cricket any day of the week - it's in my blood.
I do sympathise somewhat to New Zealand Cricket's predicament and I'm making allowances this season, in particular for there being a T20 World Cup - which has been extremely disruptive to our home season - but that was not a good look last night in Wellington.
It simply wasn't - the match finished at 10.32pm on a Sunday night. Pretty tough for people to get enthused about taking their kids along to that prospect.
It was a poor performance by the Blackcaps on a slow pitch, dropped in between rugby games and football matches, and you have to question that.
I know they build them, they make them settle, and they do tend to settle very quickly, but that pitch didn't have a lot of pace in it so it made it very hard for batsmen to prosper - particularly those coming straight out of the dugout.
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The Hurricanes are hot, cricket it seems is not at the moment. Forget for a second the cost to go and the cost of being there, which is always an issue, it is not a good product compared to the Hurricanes or the improving Wellington Phoenix.
If New Zealand was to play a World Cup final tomorrow, not one of that side playing last night would be in it and I'm including Jimmy Neesham in that. Not quite sure why Neesham was captain of that side, not quite sure why he's playing in this series, because we should be finding out things not confirming things.
South Africa would have but only one player in the World Cup final, if that was them too, and that would be Keshav Maharaj.
So, let's stop pretending. It both saddens and worries me about what our cricketing summers on our soil after Christmas are going to resemble going forward.
Is there enough money in the coffers to tempt our best players to stay at home? It might be about time to find out. In other words, play for the country, you're going to make more money than playing for a franchise.
If not, and we are to have a development type phase of our summer each year, then expect more of these series and more of last night's performance.
Player power or player preference is determined by money it seems - it's no longer the fern. With NZ20 now the way forward, would you be on board? Would you climb in to a cricket franchise at this stage?
T20 cricket in this country certainly needs an injection. Is NZ20 the injection that it seems?
Tune into Ian Smith on Sport Nation Mornings, 9am to midday, Monday-Wednesday each week.
