You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B. Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio. Welcome to Sportsfix, your daily dose of sport.
Welcome on in to the Sports Fix. It is a Tuesday. It's the eleventh of March twenty twenty five. Minum is Darcy Waldergrave and coming up in this podcast, we're going to talk with a man called Wells. Sam Wells, he selector for the black Caps, talk around not only the team that has been picked for the squad that has been picked for the upcoming five match T twenty ice series against Pakistan, but the nature of selection with central
contracts and where that sits. Will be joined by Klay Wilson, sports news director for News Talk SeeDB and the Chamber as we discuss that and the Warriors and the cry to be patient with the halves and I've got some opinion well on exactly that that's what we plan to do, so let's get busy and do it. In other news Ford Trophy winning tweaking at cantab Each, Sody is back
in a Black Cap. A number of first choice players will flee to the BCCI's bank Withdraw branch which makes way for some of the older players and newer ones as well. He is super keen to inhale the unmistakable stench of an international changing shed again because yeah, it's great to be back. It's very exciting to sort of share the dressing room with the boys again.
And Michael brace Will was captain who someone I look up to, Verry Fonny.
Too Auckland Tatata GM Dale Barge appreciates the trouble facing the new Indian NBL side the Panthers. The fledsing basketball franchise is without their full roster for the first three weeks of the NBL International Asia Cup qualifying. Commitments and some visa dramas have left the club scrambling ringings.
Leaves them in the lurch, leaves all of us having to scratch around and find other solutions and sympathize with everyone involve the league, broadcasters, the team itself, from the Panthers that are working hard.
And bulldogs at GM and mister NRL everything. Feil Gold doesn't care about Dylan Brown's contract length, all the fountain of cash he'll be drenched with. It's whether or not the Eels half has what's required I'm not that worried about the money, and I'm not that worried about the ten years either, because I think they're getting him in the primary career. Is he the right player at the moment. There are things he's got to do to his game to get to that position. I feel.
This is Sportsfix, your daily does of sports news powered by News Talks EB.
And it's a warm welcome to the Vixed podcast to New Zealand cricket selector Sam Wells. Hi, sam Hi Darcy, thanks for having me and thanks very much for joining us. So today it was announced that hot on the heels of the sad the bridesmaid position at the Champions Trophy. But you've got now the upcoming series against the visiting Pakistani's. You've named that squad to take them on in five teams. I'm just gonna start that over again. What did I say? Five teams?
Team?
Well, here we go three two one and we're joined now by Sam Wells, Black Caps select Good evening, sam Hi Darcy.
How are you?
Yeah, very very good. Michael Brace will be to perform so well in the HECK Champions Trophy final. He gets captain the black Caps on home series is a five game T twenty I series coming up against Pakistan. A lot of considerations in this series and a few players back from the outset, which I like to start with that. Let's look at some of those guys, the likes of ciphered Anisian and Allen. What considerations around their selection considering they haven't central contracts.
Yeah, look, there's a few moving parts, so it all I suppose.
First of all, we've.
Now gone past the champions Trophy and in the horizon is another ICIC pinnacle event being the T twenty World Cup in India, which is now less than twelve months away, So I focused with the T twenty team shifts to that, and we've really focused on having good preparation and built up for all of the ICC events and this is
no different. So we've been in talks with these players for the last month or six weeks or so to get their commitment for all our twenty fixtures if selected for the next year and build up and they've committed
to that. So while they are centrally contracted, if they've committed to the T twenty preparation that we consider as required, and we're really pleased to get that and look, these guys have really emphasized with us that their priority is still playing cricket for New Zealand and that's what they want to do. They've come back and all three of them have played for trophy and then good performances on the board.
So yeah, look, it's just.
Working with the players and lining up you know, a good preparation and that's really what it's all about.
So we're really happy where we've landed.
So basically they've said, if we get BBL contracts or South African T twenty contracts, we won't be picking them up because they can't, can they if they've committed to you and they want to get picked for that World Cup.
Essentially, yeah, they've said that they'll they'll commit to all about T twenty games if selected.
Look, and it's about.
Giving them, you know, enough time and communication to work through whatever deals they have in place. But essentially, yeah, they've committed to all the games that we have.
Have you got a cut off period for this because playing we're talking quite a while away now, I know it's within the year, but they said, hey, look, if we're not going to be in or near or close by November or something, can you let us go. Is there anything in the contract or the words there?
Do you think, Sam, No, Look, there's nothing, there's no contract or strict time member. Look, it's just about keeping up with the open communications and then players and know where they stand. Like there's a number of series between now and then, and I guess as more information comes to hand and we get closer to nailing down the squad and where we think of my land, where we'll
give those players indications. But yeah, ultimately they've committed to that and they said they want to play for New Zealand, But playing for New Zealand you've also got to commit to some of the preparation to make sure the team's in the best position to perform well at these events. And I think we saw that with the Champions Trophy squad. Having a strong build up in that tri series I think really helped. So that's how we're planning to move forward.
New Zealand Cricket have been very fluid in this space and I think it's the most pragmatic way to handle this. How does that work from a selection point of view when you're dealing with a number of different contracts or lack their role is that tricky.
It's not too tricky, like it's just trying to get everyone together and the ground away for But you're right, we've got to be a little bit pragmatic that the world of cricket is changing. We accept, for example, in this window you know, has been accepted for some time that players, if they get an IPL.
Deal, they go go and do that.
Equally, you know some players are going to make a decision to go and not taking New Zealand contract in playoffs where because the financial rewards you know, make sense for them at that time of their career or whatever
it is. But if we can find a ground where when we're lining up for a particular event, if we're satisfied all we can get an appropriate burn up and commitment from the players, then I think we'd be silly to you know, not work with them to try and make that work, because it's in the interests of both the team and the player.
So the players that have been selected, and there are some I would say outside it's but some people that line is close to the core team ast I'm sure they'd like to be because they still early in their careers. This is all about keeping all of your options open in giving players international experience with no promises yet.
Yeah, I think the way in particularly this particular window when the IPPL players are away, we're naturally going to have to dig a bit deeper into the depth and that presents more opportunities for guys and that's happened for some time for a number of years now. So yeah, this particular window gives guys chances. But we see where guys perform well, then you know they're then pushing their
place in the main squad. And for example, I think Jacob Duffy did that really well when given his opportunities recently and with injury, broke his way into the Champions Trophy squad. Now he's again here in the T twenty squad. So look these when these opportunities presented, if players can take them, that they'll find themselves with more opportunities in the future.
In the case of Kin Williamson, Samuels joins us SO and he's in Cricket select said he's unavailable. Where does he sit in the profile over the next year around his commitments or even conversations have had with him about where he would like to be because I'm sure if he's available and fit. He'll pick him in an instant, won't you. So one of those conversations being like Sam.
Yeah, look, Kane's a bit of a series by series at the moment and this is just one of the ones where he's had a big workload, been away overseas for a couple of months now, when we're just managing him series by series, and those are obviously decisions he will make. If kin you wants to play, he'll obviously coming too serious consideration and so look we'll just had to play that by you and see how he is
going moving forward. But he's still playing a bit of franchise T twenty cricket around and I'm.
Sure he'll still in a while.
I hope he still wants to play for New Zealand moving forward, but it's he's just at that stage of the career he's picking and choosing a bit to managers workload.
But we'll just have to see how that goes moving forward.
But in turn, they he will have to be available for what India and Afghanistan, those two series in the lead up to the T twenty I World Cup next year.
Yeah, that's on cricket's position at the stage.
Well love the fact that New Selling Cricket have proven in actions that they are very fluid and understand that cricket is changing fast. Almost with every season there's something new. Looks like you guys are dealing with the best you can and I'm wishing you the best going forward, looking forward to this new series and some of these new guys coming through newsh guys coming through Sam Wells selected forty Selling Cricket. Again, thanks very much for your time,
Jeez Darcy. The Wires have started their season in an underwhelming fashion, which is no surprise to Warriors fans. As I've said once, as I've said twice, as I'll keep on saying, I wouldn't be surprised if in my lifetime the Warriors don't win the trophy of two blokes hugging. I don't support them because I believe they're going to win. I support them because for thirty years I've been following them through thick. For thirty years, I've been following them
through thick and thin, quite a lot of thin. To be fair, I'm a fan of the team, I'm a fan of the NRL and I love to see the boys competing. But that's the issue this time around competing. Andrew Webster, the club's coach, has pleaded with the fans to be patient when it comes to the Warriors. They started off poorly in Las Vegas. They can hopefully right the wrongs of that ill fated American trip as they take to the field to Mount Smart Go Media Stadium
on Friday night up against Manly. But I won't be patient. I'm not interested in patience. You've had an entire off season to work out what you're trying to do and how you are going to apply those theories to the field. What we saw last week underwhelming. I'll use that term again. I think there are issues with the halves. I think there are issues with decision making, which come back down, of course, to the halves. I don't feel that this
team know who they are what they are attempting to do. Granted, it's only week one of the competition for them, Granted it's a long long way to go and they're not going to win the NRL in the very first week. But being told to be patient after what we thought was a comprehensive preseason where surely the club, the management and the coaching staff have set down their requirements and set down their plan over weeks and weeks and weeks
of practice. I don't think being patient is required. Now get on the park and win.
We're now in session on sportsfx.
Smat's news director out of news talks there b Claig Wilson joins us now in the chamber. Always good to have you in here for end.
Very well, thank you.
Right, let's talk about the sports stories of the day, and I suppose the one that we're all very keen on pulling apart black Caps v. Pakistan. This is the T twenty ice series coming up. Look, cricket and summer. It is summer, right, Well you just told me it's over. Well it's kind of autumn summer. But hey, Indian summers, mate, it's.
Going to go going to go forever reference.
But we're actually getting we're actually getting home games to go and watch. But we're not getting the best of the best. We're getting the second tier. Is that a fair thing to say, because when you look at cross at the squad, they're actually handy cricket players.
Yeah.
I mean, just because you call it a second tier squad doesn't necessarily mean they're crappy players. They're very, very good players. But the reality is a lot of our best players are overplaying in the Indian Premier League because they are our best players and they got picked to play in those teams. They got bought for very handsome
sums to go and play in that competition. So this is a pretty normal thing now around this time of the year where we get players that are playing in the IPL that are allowed to go and play in the IPL now and miss out on certain international series that might be happening around this time.
Well, you say, now, a few years ago, it wasn't the case. Remember the Grand Home and the Guptal situation where they basically left there was almost it was quite a discussion at that time. But now the pragmatism of this New Zealand cricket organization has gone, Look, we've just got to roll with the punches otherwise we've finished. Right.
It's not a one size fits all system anymore in terms of contracting in our top players. And until something changes at a global level with windows for all these domestic TEA twenty competitions, they're going to have to continue catering to different players and players are going to make decisions on whether they want to play international cricket and be contracted and be committed to the international team, or they want they want to go away and and put some money in their back pockets.
And you know, think.
About it more like a like a like a real job, like a you know, like a business. And you know, the elite athletes they can't play sport forever, so you understand that. But at the same time, obviously being an athlete, a big part of it is playing for your national team and succeeding, winning World Cups, going to big one.
Wish as you up, doesn't it when it comes to people interested in giving you the money, It's like I performed the national level. She performed the national level. I'm going to buy in. But what about the punters. Is this going to drag numbers down for attendance for these games? We're going to go, wow, ravishing reck Avenger is not there. I'm not interested. I'm not I'm not going well have an effect at that bottom line? Do you think?
Well, I think for your casual audience, right, your cricket nuffies as we call them in the sport, the people that are really passionate, live and breathe cricket. I think is still going to go to these games if they if they are in the area, if they've lucky enough to be able to do that. But for your casual fans that might think, think i've seen rach and Avendra score one hundred at the Champions Trophy was all over the news and in the news.
I might go and watch a.
Game in the Bay Oval or at Eton Park or at Hagley Oval. Then those people might not go, especially when it's the amount of players that aren't available. It's not just for Revendra. You're talking about Mitchell Sander, the captain of the white ball team. Five or six of these guys of you know, they are the top echelon of our players not there. So I think I can't
not have an effect on people's interest levels. Doesn't mean people aren't going to watch, no, but I think a significant amount less will tune in.
Also with T twenty I, it's being pushed and marketed as it's only three and a half hours. It's a day out in the sun with your friends and your family. It's almost like that experience is almost more important than the people who are actually playing. They're still wearing a black cap they're still representing New Zealand. Hey three and a half hours, let's go and have a good time being toward that.
It's not as punishing, right, No, if they get if you're going to do it in any format, T twenty is the one to do it, like you say, because of the length of time people are committing to it, and like you say, they can make more of an experience out of it, and hopefully, you know, you look at the model of you know, going to another sport or clan FC and what they've done this year with their games, make it an experience and you know, to sort of divert off into it and another sport completely.
We've talked about this in rugby, right how rugby needs to try and embrace more of a match day experience to try and get the casual people in, get them interested, to get them on board. So yeah, I think you will get people like that, families that are going to go along regardless. But it's always a shame when you can't have your best players playing for your national site.
Hey, they get injured too, you know, it's not all the time, but sometimes they go away and make a fortune, So be it. Clay Wilson joining us in the chamber. Sports news director for News Talk ZB Andrew Webster urging the fans to be patient with Luke Metcalf. What's the preseason for Clay? Wow?
How long is the preseason long enough?
Wasn't it? Wow? Don't you think that a plan in place? Go this is what we're going to do. I look, maybe I'm just like kicking off because I was a wee bit pissy about what happened over in Vegas. Wouldn't you think though, that when you look at that game, that they would have maybe structure slightly more firmly in place. It looked to me it's like, ah, and you know what gonna go with him, and let's go and see what happens.
I think the predicament the Warriors are in here is that it was clear going into the season that it was going to be a bit of a figuring out process in terms of who the starting halves. Where you're losing Sean Johnson met caalftin at play a bunch of last year. There's four or five contenders for two spots, and I don't think the coaching staff, the selectors themselves would have known they had to use to me the
preseason to figure out who that was. Right, You're not going into a season with an established halves combination where you know, and then come round one you say, well, when knew coming into the preseason you had three season games and then you've been you know, you've been under par in round one, not good enough as opposed to this situation where you lose someone like Shawan Johnson and then you're trying to figure out It's not that there wasn't really an obvious to me.
Any hold on. We lost Sean Johnson last year to Mighty Martin stepped up, they started winning, and then Sean came back and what happened the wheels fell off again.
Well, then you're just getting into a debate about who should have had that jersey? Right, Wow, And they clearly thought that Luke metcalf was was the guy after at least the first preseason game. I think he played the last the second preseason game at seven. We played both of them at seven. But I mean that they were obviously doing their own stuff before that, figuring it out,
decided he was probably the guy. The preseason games confirmed it, and then you've got into you know, a surprise, surprise, You've got into a proper competition game where there's actual points on the line, and that they weren't good enough. I'm sure he would admit he wasn't good enough. I guess the question now is for people like me who say maybe you should should give allow them a little bit of time. How long is enough? I mean, one
game isn't enough for you. But would you extend any more grace than that?
Yep, you kind of have to if you've given them that job. I just bristled when I saw that. It's like, I'll show you patience. I'm not a coach. I'm not even close to being a coach. I don't understand what goes on there. But from a pure fan point of view, after what happened, you go, well, hold, we expected a bit more. But then I'll just wind that back. It's the warriors expect the unexpected. Don't even know what's going on?
Right? Yeah?
And I don't know.
I just think the halves, it's just that the area that just jumps out of the page to you. Are there players like Luke Metcalf, Shanel Harristavita to Mighty Martin, who who could be a part of a premiership winning half playmaking combination. But it's just, you know, it's that position that everyone says, you know, you've got to have, You've got to have that kind of that match controller, that star player, that standout player who's going to drive
you lead you to a premiership. A Jerome Hughes, a Cooper Kronk, someone of that ilk and those guys not yet anyway, are not that player.
Tay Wilson, Sports News Direct for News Talk ZB. Thanks very much for your time and your opinions. Much appreciated.
Nowhere, it's just us Sports six.
And mann raps Up Sports Fix. The podcast for the most is for another day, this day being Tuesday, the eleventh of March twenty twenty five. Thanks very much for listening. If you've enjoyed it, please subscribe that way, this will turn up in your inbox on a week daily basis. If you've enjoyed your time with us, by all means, tell your friends, tell your family and get them to
subscribe as well. And if you're keen on a bit of interactive sport talk, you can get that on Sports Talk Monday through Friday seven to eight pm on News Talk to ZB Jason pine starts the week I finish it off and for all Piney you can have that over the weekend on Weekend Sports Saturday and Sunday Time twelve midday through till three. Look forward to you joining us both of us here on Sports Fix and on News Talk ZEDB.
For more from News Talk ZEDB, listen live on air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio