Welcome to the Export Beer Garden Studio.
Welcome to the BYC podcast, And this week on the BYC We're going to be going balls out, sifting through popcorn, bald Eagles, and Donald Trump paraphernalia as the USA and West Indies hosted Cricket World Cup gets underway in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. I'm Paul Ford, the godfather of the Beise Brigade, and I'm joined by New Zealand's greatest sporting substack scribe before year of all things sporting, Dylan Cleaver.
How the bloody hell are you, DC.
I'm saying, get a little bit tired. I've already banked a few hours in front of the screen watching the World T twenty, quite enjoying it. To be honest, I don't know if you dipped your toe into that water.
Yet I have.
And I was actually thinking, how I haven't had too many late nights, But I wondered whether you were recording the games and then getting up in the middle of the night to watch them, or whether you were doing something else. I wasn't quite sure because there haven't been too many punishingly morning you know, sort of overnight games to quench your thirst so far?
Is that fair?
Yeah? A couple of two thirty am starts. I don't. I don't buy into any of that nonsense. I watched them very early the next morning, but I really enjoyed the opener, which we'll talk about soon. But yeah, in terms of overall vibes, I kind of feel almost that it's been embraced more in the US venues than the Caribbean so far, and maybe that's the result of the kind of weather bomb that's surrounding the Caribbean at the moment, Caribbean Caribbean. I don't know what's the correct way of
saying that, but yeah, what's your thoughts? So, I guess so on the opening Salvos.
Yeah, it's interesting.
I'm really obsessed with understanding what America actually thinks about the game, and are people talking about this in pubs that you know, amongst families, amongst friends that don't have an Indian mate. And I suspect that the answer is probably not. I don't think that there's been massive cut through. I did see that Cam Williamson had his face projected onto a building I think it was the Rockefeller Center
in the middle of New York. So I'm sure these little glimpses of cricket if you're looking out for them, But just in the absolute male strom that is American society and popular culture, I suspect that cricket is not really getting a look in. And I imagine it's quite a weird sensation for a lot of the players, even for the fans, and obviously all the entourage of media and so on going around the place and no one really knowing who the hell they are or what they're
there to do. I can imagine being in customs of people are like, you're here to do what, and they just wouldn't understand what the hell was going on.
So I'm quite intrigued about that.
There's been lots of stories about this tournament being the kind of this potentially could be the cut through of the game into America. But the more and more that I delve into it, it does very much seem like it is extremely focused on the Indian Pakistani diaspora that has has made its home in the United States, and.
That is the least if that is all it does. Is there anything necessarily wrong with that? I mean, there we're talking about the aspera of millions of Indians and Pakistanis and Bengali's. And I saw the ground in Dallas the other day was packed out because there is a a Nepalese population of something like twenty thousand in Dallas alone, and half of them couldn't get into the ground. So I mean, if that is the very least it's doing, it's still doing something, if you know, if you know
what I mean, but I do. I hopefully they drag a few others along with them, I guess, is what they're trying to do.
Yeah, yeah, look, I think that's exactly right. And let's be right, let's you know, not beat around the bush on this. The economics of well, sorry, the Cricket World Cup is drawn by economics, the economics of the India despera driving the interest in the game in America, selling out stadiums, TV rights, all of that kind of stuff. Absolutely, I've got no qualms whatsoever. I'm more intrigued about how
how it intersect with American popular culture. Does it even get a looking And I guess you know, one way that it might get onto Sports Center and programs like that is when you have someone that you've never heard of comes onto the scene and plays a swash buckling innings to see one team that you've never heard of, or a bunch of players you've never heard of, take down another team that you've never heard of, and we saw that this.
Week with Aaron Jones.
Aaron Jones ninety four not out and one of the absolutely iconic innings and a great way to get the tournament underway.
And born in Queens, New York, admittedly raised for the most part of his life in Barbados, where he was mates with, among others, Shay Hope, Joffra Archer and Jason Holder. So this incredible nursery I guess of cricket and Barbados, but he was New York born, which kind of feels important. The opener as well, who didn't get any runs, Stephen someone.
There was three US born players in that side, which is certainly more than you've got when you look at the likes of Oman who almost entirely Pakistani or Gujerati immigrants. But yeah, I had a blast watching that game, just to re quickly recap at USA b Canada by seven wickets with fourteen balls remaining, chasing down one nine four for five, scoring one nine seven for three. As you mentioned Aaron Jones ninety four not out ten six is
just forty balls. He was incredible. He had one of five balls and the commentators were kind of talking about what poor form he had brought into this match, four single figure scores in his last five innings and how he really needed some runs, and then all of a sudden went everywhere. He was batting with a South African born player called Andress Goo, I think is how you say it. They had a partnership something like one hundred and thirty one one hundred and thirty one run partnership.
Goo scored sixty forty six. It was spectacular. At one stage the required run rate was more than twelve and over, and then the unfortunate Jeremy Gordon bowled one of the overs for the ages. And if I can just take you through it, it started with a wide, then Goo hit a six, then he hit a four, then there was another why. Then there was a no ball where Goo was caught on the boundary. Then there was a no ball with one run, and then old what's his what's
his pants? Jones came down the other end had a six, Then there was another why. Then there was a one, and there was only the only reason it was a one was a guy did a miracle back back in on the boundary, and then there was a six, and then there was a four. It was eleven balls of carnage, thirty three runs, and the game was pretty much decided at that point.
Oh, unbelievable. Yeah, I mean, I think Jones and Gets put one hundred and thirty one and fifty eight balls, so they were and they were in the strike I've got to say, though, you look at his career record.
I don't know if you've looked at at Aaron Jones. He has got a terrible record.
So the contoada has been quite right and quite within their rights to have a crack at him.
He's got a career strike round in ten twenty of about one hundred and four. He's only ever hit.
He hits won six every two innings on average, and he's never scored more than fifty before.
Sorry, that's not true.
His highest score was fifty before coming into this fixture, and now he's become an absolute legend of the game.
So yeah, now, g perhaps he's like Reggie Jackson. Perhaps he's a big game player. Mister October, that used tocore Reggie Jackson because he did nothing during the entire season get to the playoffs start of hitting home runs. It's Aaron Jones, mister mister June.
Good for the really really cool way to start the to start the tournament and as you said, a decent cut. I think it was only six thousand, but it was
quite a lively six thousand people at that game. The next game up was West and he's beating Papa New Guinea by five wickets with six boards, remaining a bit of a squeaky bum game really for the West Indies, and I guess the thing that caught my eye was that it was described as being played on a tricky two pace track, which is ominous for New Zealand given the set to play on that same track in Guyana.
As you said, a terrible crowd and really the Western these blushes were saved by Roston Chase who got forty two off twenty seven when they were ninety seven for five after sixteen chasing one thirty six.
Did anything catch your eye on that one dcent?
Yeah, I just googling Papa New Guinea. Now, not all of the player's birthplaces are listed, but as far as I can make out, they've got something New Zealands certainly can't claim, and that is all of their players are locally born, wow and raised. And I was actually quite impressed,
you know, I thought they did well. Look, I don't know actually when I say locally raised, maybe they go to Australia and play cricket in North Queensland or Brisbane or whatever and then are available for Papua New Guinea. But they were certainly Papa New Guineans, and yeah, I thought they played pretty well and they could have won that game.
Did I see that Papua New guineas coached by to Tenda Taiboo? Is that correct? I think that's what I think. That's what I saw, But it might be wrong. That might be wrong. Yeah.
Anyway, a close one for the West Indies, who have been called out by US and others as being a sort of a smoky chance of the tournament. But you do get the sense that they'll sort of build into their power game as they get their alchemy going and their team been pulled back together specifically for the tournament.
I watched a bit of Namibia versus Oman, who they beat in a super over one hundred and nine all out versus one hundred and nine for six And just another reminder that David Visa, the man born in hal Teng, is an absolute beast with bat and ball. For Namibia, he was absolutely sensational three for twenty eight and then walloped thirteen runs off four balls in the super over as well.
And he looks a bit like Dave Grohl.
He looks like he kind of doesn't really want to be there, and then the interview after the match and he seems like the nicest bloke in the world.
Yeah. Yeah, I watched the Sisters in Bridge Down, Barbados and again the wicket looked really trickily, you looked tricky to bed on and it was a low scoring thriller. I think is the cliche you use at times like this And then suddenly you get to super over and it's twenty one off it and so Omaran didn't have a chance of chasing that down. I think there were after five balls they were one for four and the super over so always tricky to get that required eighteen
off the final ball. Need a lot of things to go your way, really, but.
Again that guy, you need the guy for Canada to be bowling.
That's one way did right And again I looked up birth places for Oman and that's where I discovered that they're all Pakistani or Indian. So yeah, obviously, I mean they're not too far apart across the Gulf of Arabia, is it. So obviously it's a pretty popular landing spot for Pakistani immigrants.
Yes, someone's got to build the spectacular buildings and they get rich and die trying, I think is the phrase. So Africa beat Sri Lanka by six wickets with twenty two balls rauning.
This was a bit of a game. I think you're going to have some views on this pitch which I saw. I think it was.
The Guardian described it as unscrupulous, which obviously means to look that up, but it means unfair in that South Africa played within there, within their means and they were a bit nervous. I'm sure you've got some thoughts. I'm keen to hear them, but we should just call out on Rick Nurtzier four for not very many seven maybe
something something preposterous like that. And this new bloke that I haven't seen, but apparently he was a superstar in the South African t twenty helping the sun rises Eastern Cape magnificently named Ott Neil Bartman not a Simpsons I don't know there's a Simpsons connection there somewhere, but surely if it's a surname, the parents didn't choose it.
And quite an interesting character. I understand.
He was eligible and asked to be to move sort of from his country and village school to go to those one of those posh schools in place water Wall in South Africa. His mum said no, so he stayed at his local village school, very academic and then as kind of like a bit of a breakthrough star as to be finally led off as a mother's apron strengthen into the real world. He was sensational eighteen wickets at eleven point eight in that South African Tea twenty comp and it runs for over of.
Less than seven. He looks good.
Yeah, look, I don't want to cheapen what he did because it is amazing and it's a great story. But anyone could look good bowling on that wicket. And it's such a shame because that was the game taken to New York. They built this incredible modular stadium out of a green park at Isahower Park, which is sort of out west of sorry east of Queens like you're heading right out into the Long Island Sound there, and amazing
job of doing it. But what they relied on was dropping wickets that were built in Adelaide, then put on boats and shipped over to Savannah, Georgia, then track down to Florida to grow during the winter, and then tracked up to New York and dropped in. Unfortunately, everything about this venue relies on those wickets, which were created by the guy from Adelaide Oval, the guy I think his name's Damien Hoff. And it was unfortunately next to unplayable.
And I know the popular thing to think to say during these sort of things is, oh, well, was it really that bad? Was it that unplayable or was it just poor batting? Nah? That was that was tough. It was really hard work. And on one hand, I'm actually surprised that it was Hoff that was allowed to do it, because he's the guy that prepared the drop on wicket where India all out for thirty something at the Adelaide Oval. Some surprised the BC.
Time doing this one let him share it, But.
I really wanted this game to work. I thought it was the first of these well t twenty games between two test playing nations. I wanted it to capture some imagination, but it said it was slightly fascal unfortunately.
Yeah, it's an its ominous for the rest of the tournament. There's a lot of faith being put in that New York picture. It is preposterous really when you think about it. You know, the architecture, the scale of the vision to do what they've done, and incredible what has been done.
Yeah, logistically and unbelievable.
But also completely unproven and an enormous risk, particularly when you think about I think some of the tickets for the English in India Pakistan game are selling for five thousand US dollars.
Yep.
And you know you're looking at that game starting. Not only is it a tricky picture, but I'm pretty sure a local time that game starts at ten thirty or eleven o'clock.
In the morning. Yeah, it could be maybe they could get to play twice.
Yeah, but it does seem like, well, I've got a feeling of trepidation about it as you. And it does sound like your description of that picture is something a bit harsher than unscrupulous DC.
Yeah, I'm played there.
A couple more games, just very quick.
Afghanistan absolutely annihilated Uganda by one hundred and twenty five run When we can have a touch on the Afghanis in a little bit when we preview that New Zealand game, but this was an absolute blitzkrig And Faruki was the man. He took five wickets, his first time he's taken five wickets. And for Uganda, they looked incredibly.
It looked like a mino.
Confused when they were batting. They were sixty eight all out. But they do have some of the best names, including their fast bowl of my favorite cosmos kyah Water, which I think is just one of the great names in this World Cup. But yeah, what is it, fifty eight, sixty eight whatever they got six years.
That was that they played like a genuine minnow. That was the first time where you looked at it and went, oh, some teams are going to get some severe hidings here. They made Afghanistan look like well, actually shouldn't say that because New Zealand And due to play them, but Afghanistan looked like it was Usta playing New Zealand in the nineties early nineties.
And then overnight Scotland visus England was washed out.
Scotland absolutely going hammer in ninety for nine lots of rain about and yeah, unfortunate, another sort of ominous sign for looking at the weather forecast, which we get into in a sec And the Netherlands beaten Nepal with Takapuna's finest max O Dowd anchoring the Netherlands chase as they mowed down one hundred and six.
He was very calm, very composed and took them through. I think they had seven balls to spare, eight balls to spare or something.
Great atmosphere there really good right schoolcards DC. Yeah, yeah, ground full of Nepalese and actually was a massive day for the New Zealand contingent. Tim Pringle took three for twenty, Logan van Beek took three for Raden and Maxo Dowd got them home, as you said, with an unbeaten half century. The Dutch cracked me up. Actually, I read an interview with Scott Edwards earlier in this tournament. Remember the confidence they took into the World Cup, you know, and Scott
is added again saying when we're at our best. No one can beat us. We're a meta anyone that's that's cool, Good on you, good luck.
And frankly, you know Nepole, but I've got some tricky backers in there. There could have been a little bit of a banana skin game. So good to see the Netherlands seize their opportunity. And you know, they should be a cut above, and it's good to see that they've proved that, at least in the opening game.
I don't think Nepole had their best player. Who was I think acquidted of rape charges recently, Lama Chane I think his name is, but he still didn't get a visa to get into the United States, which sounds probably fair enough. So I don't think they are as strong as they usually are.
Good point, Yeah, definitely, they're definitely their main man for sure. Hey, DCIC, we'll take a break, we'll come back. We'll preview New Zealand versus the Banana Skin Game Afghanistan.
Welcome back to the b y C.
It's Paul fordam Dylan Clever here during the fat and New Zealand finally going to get underway in a couple of days. DC Game versus Afghanistan the opening game for the Black Caps in the Cricket World Cup. They're playing at Providence. I had a quick look the last four winning scores at Providence in Georgetown, Guyana one hundred and eighty three versus Uganda one hundred and thirty seven versus pap in New Guinea one hundred and fifty five and
one hundred and sixty four. So the days of the IPL two hundred and fifty plus scores are absolute dreamland. I've seen a couple of scam hungering headlines. My favorite was this one Paul rival Afghanistan sends warning to black Cats with big opening win over Uganda. I'm not sure that a win over the cricket cranes, which is what Uganda are called, means a hell.
Of a lot.
Something that may be factored in here is New Zealand's flights. But you'd hope that they'd be okay having traveled I think Auckland, San Francisco, Houston, Georgetown, which I think is about thirty four thirty five hours, but they'd had pretty close to a week, I think, to acclimatize and get over that get over that jet lag.
How do you see that one shaping up decent.
Well, I'm a little bit worried about this. All the narrative or the kind of rhetoric coming out of the New Zealand camp has been remarkably negative. He had sort of talking about jet lag and weather bombs and sat and there talking about what a chaotic start it's been and how distorted the start of the tournament has been. They've opted for no warm up games because the team was coming in three different ways, because they were coming
from different parts of the parts of the world. It look it actually sounded like a little bit of a shambles. I haven't heard anyone sort of sitting there over there going yeah, we're in great shape, can't wait to get stuck into it. We've had some amazing together. Yeah, we've had some amazing net sessions. It doesn't sound like you can bere to get in the nets because of the weather. I'd like you. I did a bit of digging on
this Providence ground. I looked at the twenty twenty three Caribbean Premier League stats Sexy and they were that's where the majority of the games were played. And it's a decent pitch. It's like one hundred and sixty three average, which is kind of above where most of the grounds in the Caribbean are at the moment, and that average would have been as high as one hundred and ninety except in the final was a complete blowout where Trinidad Trinbago, sorry,
we're out for ninety four. You don't. There's no discernible advantage to batting first or second. It's your bat first. You win four out of the nine games, five out of the nine games if you're batted second. And yeah, it was. It seemed like kind of mid one sixties was a decent total, which to me feels like what a t twenty game with a reasonably even contest between bat and ball should look like. It should be about
kind of one seventy. So it might not be quite as slow and as turgid as some of the cricket and the Caribbean has been over the last ten years, just because of the low slow track. So it might suit New Zealand.
That sounds well, that sounds promising. I'll tell you something that doesn't sound promising is that Guyana, which is of course quite an unusual country. I think when we think of the western these we always think of these beautiful tropical islands, and of course that the Guyana's on the South American continent. It's the only English speaking on that continent. It's basically in a maybe not a civil war, but certainly a political battle with Venezuela.
I think over some oil.
There's a vein of the country that's contested in these is a bit of a drama around that. But it's also known for its tropical rainforests. Book site Gold and Timber. But let's focus on the tropical rainforest because I can tell you over the next few days it has sensational conditions for growing a rainforest. It's the weather conditions from Thursday thirty one showers, Friday thirty one thunderstorms and heavy showers, and Saturday thirty one dull and dreary with showers, ninety
three percent chance of rain. So it is looking but I'm not sort of whenever we talk about this, they pretty much always seem to get a game in. But there's definitely going to be some rain about and I don't know whether that's helpful or a hindrance to the New Zealand team.
Yeah, well it's a lottery, isn't it. I guess if you know beforehand, it can play into your decision at the toss. Most teams liked about second when there's rain about, so you know what the Duckworth Lewis equation is, but it doesn't always work that way. You go in as a fascinating country. It's such an outlier in world cricket and I've always been fascinated about it ever since. I think I've read clave Lloyd's autobiography when I was about twelve or thirteen, and to me it sounded quite idyllic.
Georgetown Goan sounded quite idlic But I've subsequently talked to plenty of people who've been there and it's far from my delic I think you have to be careful at night. They definitely tell you don't go out in ones. Make sure there's a group of you when you go out. But I've piled and it's also a very curious place in the Caribbean milieu in that it produces incredible batters and virtually no fast bowlers at all. But I've compiled again and he's all time eleven and I've had to
leave out some incredible batters. But I'm opening with Roy Fredericks and Ramna Esh Sawan, Shivneren Chanderpaul's elevated to number three, Basil Butcher's number four, Alvin Keller trans number five. Clyde Lord is captaining the team at number six rowand can I, the roan can I will be the best ever number seven. He also has to wicket keep because they weren't rich
in wicket keepers. Carl Hooper I've got coming him at eight and he's a genuine all rounder in this team ahead of Lance Gibbs who was the first bowl of take three hundred Test wickets. Shama Joseph on very little evidence, is already in the team at number ten, and Colin Croft, no best known in New Zealand for the strange angle of his run up, is batting number eleven. I couldn't find a place for Roger Harper or Devendra Bishu, Himron
hit Meyer and several other batters. Actually, so it's a it's powerful all time eleven.
Pretty good.
And I'll tell you what, I'm glad that Tjenerine Chanderpaul did not make your team. I'm happy with that. A couple of bits and pieces for you. I never knew that Larance Gibbs was Clive Lloyd cousin, first cousin. So yeah, thick as thieves. Obviously a real fraternity amongst the Guyanese players as well.
You mentioned Besil Butcher.
Now I don't know a hell of a lot about him, but he was an amazing player back in the in the fifties with your mate Can I and then Can I Is that what he said?
And another guy called Joe Solomon. Yeah, yeah, and.
They they were they all worked together on this sugar plantation in Port Morant, and there was a guy called Clyde Walcott.
A legendary batner from Barbados.
I think, one of the three ws who.
Looked after them, and so he was employed. How good is this? So Clyde Walcott was employed by the local Sugar Producers Association to be the cricket organizer for the Port Morant sugar Plantation cricket team.
And he was amazing at the guys developed their own technique and turn into these pridigious talents. So, yeah, a really awesome story. And yeah, I guess where you get to around this is it's incredible that the westerns is just this train smashed together of lots of these extraordinary countries, each of which have their own strengths and weaknesses and could probably and.
Have historically been teams in and of their own right.
And you wonder whether it's going to go back to that as Western East Cricket teams to looks like it's going to fragment.
Hey, and what.
About this new Zealand team DC, who is actually going to play? Have you got an eleven for us? And have you got a I don't know a couple of things. I'm conscious with Stevin Conway coming back here with thumb injury, Fan Allen's got a back injury. Glen Phillips didn't play in the IPL. Ken Williamston only played a couple. We've got nine guys that have been in the pressure cooker of the IPL, but they've got, as I mentioned, thirty to forty hours of travel, a big gap before the first game.
There's a few things to sort out that we haven't sorted out.
It seems the leaning heavily on experience. It's not a I think I mentioned this last week when we had a soft relaunch, but it's not a team that fills me with a huge amount of anticipation or excitement. Actually, I presume they will open with Allan and I think Conway has to because he's unless they have a real voulta Facha and decide that Glen Phillips is in fact a wiki keeper non lost, and I think Conway has
to wicked keep. Williamson clearly has to play, he has to captain, so he's got to be in the top three. So there, so Alan has to do a lot of heavy lifting in that top three to get the scoring rate after a stroke rade after a decent clip. I think Mitchell probably bats four ahead of Chapman, and then they would have Phillips at five, and then I'm just completely confused. I've gone for bracewooll Nesham, Santana, Sody, Ferguson Bolt. But you can make an argument that Chapman could be
in there. You can make an argument that Henry should be in there. You can make it certainly make an argument that Sody shouldn't be in there. Revendra doesn't get a looking for me, but you know, personally I would have him in there, but I don't know how you can play him in the eleven with the way they configure that squad. It's a real it's a bit of a dog's Breakfast. For me. To be honest, I have
not really settled. I picked that eleven, but I'm really unsettled about it, and you can talk me out of it any which way you want.
Yeah, look, I've got to get I feel like Revenger and Chapman are kind of battling for the same position, so I've got them in a in a duel to the death at that number six, and I'm going to go for I would pick Revenger. I think they'll pick Chapman. I think Chapman's got a He's been good over the last twelve months for New Zealand so and did some good things in Pakistan, so fair enough. I'm not sort
of dying on a hell over that. Then I'm going Nishan or Bracewell, and I'm going to pick Bracefel because I think I just I'm reading the tea leaps from from Gary stead Stain, there's a lock for me. I think that they will pick Saudi. I'm not picking Sody and I'm not picking Henry, and then it's Ferguson and Bolt for me.
So okay, yeah, but yeah, just it does feel like New Zealand does have a very interchangeable team.
So when I went through and did my deafinits, that's what I always do. First, I put in the ones that will definitely there's no way they're going to miss out, and I had Alan Komway Williamson and again it's not a top three I particularly like, but just because of the situation with the wicked keeper, it has to be that. So had those three and then I went down to Santana at a was as my next definite, and then ferguson a Bolt at ten and eleven, so they were
I had six definites. The rest that's just throwing stuff in the air and depending on which way it lands, you know.
And frankly it should be good enough. That's the other thing as well.
You know, it's not like it's not like we're not using between guys that are shockingly bad.
It's actually an embarrassment of strength and away.
But yeah, I think I think the one thing that you would say that New Zealand is potentially missing is just that absolutely blockbusting slogathon at the top. And yeah, as you say, a lot of pressure on Allen.
It's non embarrassment of strike great strength at the top I think that is the Achilles heel of this team. And you wonder when is it time to give Robinson a fair crack at it or something like that, But then a very good player has to miss out.
So and but Afghanistan, I guess a lot of pressure on there, a lot of pressure, a lot of stock put in there, a bit like Pakistani really on their openers, right, Ibrahim Zadran Raman la Gerbars.
I mean they put one hundred and fifty four against Uganda. That doesn't mean.
Anything, but you know that they are going to be super hyper magnificently aggressive.
They're great to watch.
They go absolutely balls to the wall in terms of that opening partnership. And then it's all about the old dogs Rashid Khan and navinol Hark generally with the ball, although as mentioned earlier, fuzzle Hart Faruki taking five to nine against Uganda probably about a ninety percent discount on that, but that feels like their main weapons.
Muji is Mujib playing he's I always seem to have this little mild panic and anxiety about coming up against Afghaniststan spinners. But unless I'm mistake, in New Zealand always does well again against him, don't they. I don't. I don't think they've tripped us up like they have other teams.
Yeah, I think that's right, and I think maybe you're hearing some of that sort of weariness. You know, you wouldn't say that as as you said, you know, New Zealand are hardly going into this game supremely confident. So yeah, I think they'll be doing there. They'll be doing their homework as well. Afghanistan. You know their coach Jonathan Trump obviously a smart fellow. And they've also got the guy that you may have heard of, Dwayne Bravo, who was
their bowling advisor. Obviously a bit of a hometown advantage there for him, although not so sure how much help he'll be providing to the spinners. But yes, hey we should grab a quick break and then DC, I think you've got a quiz for us and I'll bring us back with a bit of cricket violence. Welcome back to the by C and DC, I understand you've got a quiz question for us over between Guyana and New Zealand.
Yeah. I just wanted to stretch this Guyanese theme as far as I possibly could, and look, if you can name the test cricketer from Guyana who died in Hamilton, New Zealand two years ago, the first person that pops out into our in box, and Paul will give the details to that and just a bit we'll get a shout out next week and an optional Jason Hoyt Stripper Gram at your workplace. So you choose. You either get a shout out on the BYC or hoiti in for
a stripper Gram. We have to check his available obviously, but yeah, can you name the test cricketer from Guyana who died in Hamilton, New Zealand in twenty twenty two? Do you know the answer? Paul?
I think I actually do.
I'm not going to spoil it, and you know I definitely want someone to win a Jason Hoyt Stripper Gram. We may have to kidnap him sort of like scg McGill and get him to that stripper Gram destination, but that's a cable. We can do that for the team.
But yeah, flick us an email to BYC at Basebrigade dot co dot nzen or slide into the DMS of the Alternative Commentary Collective or the Base Brigade on Instagram or Facebook with that answer, and while you're at it, if you've got a short way epistle, flick that through to us as well. We'd love to hear from you getting back on the horse over the course of the cricket Will Cup. It'll be fantastic to hear from our loyal and non loyal listeners over the next few weeks.
Paul Forward's Cricket violence Corner. Well, this week we are in Australia. It is official. Disgraced former cricketer Michael Slater's name is being wipe from history in his home city.
The Wogga Wogga City councilors have voted in favor of changing the name of Michael Slater Oval. This honor for the test batter was unveiled in twenty fourteen. Fellow Wogga products and former international cricketers Mark Taylor and Jeff Lawson also have Ovals named in their honor in Wogga Wogga, colloquially dubbed the city is dubbed the City of Good Sports for its history of producing top athletes. But Michael Slater Oval will be no more after councilors voted four
to three in favor of changing the name. Of course, the fifty four year old was last month refused bailed by our Sunshine Coast course at court as he faces nineteen charges relating to domestic violence. I've got a couple of nominations for the Oval, Sam Moran from the Wiggles, so the I don't think anyone would be crossing that out.
Dame Edna Everidge, I'm not sure how open minded they are. And Wogga Wogga, but she's from that neck of the woods.
And this one speaking of crossovers between Australia and New Zealand, what about Raylene the Castle Oval, I think that could confuse enough Australians.
She is a product of Wogga Wogga as well.
So there we go a couple of suggestions from me to fix Wogga Wogger DC over to you.
Really sad story there as she and I was reading a couple of the comments from the counselors who voted to retain the name, and it didn't give you a lot of hope for Australia, for inland rural Australia, with some of the thinking that went into some of the defenses of Michael Stada. But anyway, we'll move right on.
I've got a little bit of correspondence. This one's from Simon Sherbert and it relates to last week's conversation about the IPL and he said, Hey, Leaz, just wondering what is to stop IPL owners buying into the Super Smash. I think the biggest thing to stop them as not for sale. But apart from that, pul forward, do you have any thoughts off the top of your head.
It's a really interesting one and I guess it's a real dilemma that countries that currently have not engaged private ownership into their T twenty franchises. I England, who are obviously contemplating doing that it's about to happen. Australia are in a well, there's lots of discussion about that becoming a thing for the Big Bash. Look, I think I do wonder whether the market has been subtly tested and there's kind of no interest.
I would imagine, you.
Know it potentially is I think that the primary issue that we've that they've got at the moment is where does the Super Smash.
New Zealand's a complicated place to get to.
Time zone is terrible.
The time zone is terrible and also now you've got the added complexity of the New Zealand summer competing with Major League Cricket in the United States and also the South African competition. So you know, arguably you could say it's quite a good idea. It's maybe the direction that the world is turning, but maybe it has turned too
far for New Zealand to even contemplate doing that. You know, we've talked before on the b YC about maybe New Zealand's place in the world around or the supersmashes place in the world around that is to be a feeder competition for one of the others feels more realistic unfortunately.
And that's where I think there is. That's the only kind of realistic proposition is that you'd buy into the New Zealand competition if you're using it as a development vehicle for talent. Essentially, you're not buying it as a broadcast vehicle because no one wants to watch even in India, you're not watching cricket at that time of the day
because it's just such a dreadful time zone. So it would be a development because they simply can't get all the young talent that they've got there enough game time and again, where's the attraction for New Zealand and that apart from, you know, a few million rupees coming in? Do we want to turn the super smash into a development vehicle a young Indian talent or other talent that they own from other countries that aren't getting game time
necessarily in the South African one or the IPL. It's very complicated, but I'm and again that is why I would love to see what New Zealand crickets strategy around this globalization of T twenty cricketers and specifically towards the IPL, because there is going to be massive change in this area.
I think the other thing that's in my head around this, and it's not a fully formed thought, but you know, and it's almost sort of potentially it's slightly humiliating the New Zealand cricket to contemplate, but maybe our place in the world around this is actually becoming a development league for some of these teams and some of the players that are actually going around on this World Cup who aren't the superstars, and it's going to end up being afghanie, Ugandans,
players from Oman Netherlands and that becomes New New Zealand kind of calves out its place as a sort of secondary part of a secondary world tour which has not yet emerged, but eventually, as the IPL franchises take their kind of Formula one tier of cricketers, including lots of the big dogs from New Zealand as well, take them up onto these full time contracts to play all around the world in a various different competitions for teams that they own, there's going to be a bunch of players
who are left behind who either aspire to be in that next tier or who are quite comfortable going around the world playing cricket and getting paid decent money without becoming squillionaires. And maybe realistically that's a more pragmatic place for New Zealand to end up in the cricketing universe. I'm not sort of advocating for that, just being realistic. And on that note, thanks for downloading and tuning into the BYC.
It's quite nice to be back. We will also be back on Monday too, with some glee or some gloom.
We'll be giving our hot take on the inaugural New Zealand game versus the Misogynists of Afghanistan plus we'll be reviewing and previewing the other matches of the tournament in the meantime, feel free to get in touch over the weekend by emailing at b y C at basebagade dot co, dot m Z and go the Bloody Black Cats eleven thirty am Saturday morning.
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