New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is deep into a thorny bit of decision-making. Does the board pour its energy into launching a brand-new domestic franchise competition – working title NZ20 – or does it place a single Kiwi side into Australia’s already successful Big Bash League and its women’s equivalent?
For Sophie Devine, fresh from leading the White Ferns to a T20 series win over South Africa in Auckland, the answer is leaning towards staying on home soil.
“Where I lean towards is the women’s game here in New Zealand and whatever that looks like,” Devine said, “Whether that is a team in the Big Bash, whether that’s the NZ20, we’ve got to make sure that we’re supporting the women’s game and that they’re playing more games of cricket.”
At present the Super Smash is the only 20-over tournament staged in New Zealand, and its short window limits both earning power and playing time. Most leading Black Caps are scattered across the globe – the IPL, the PSL, even Major League Cricket in the United States – which means, for example, they will miss next month’s scheduled white-ball tour of Bangladesh. NZC has tolerated that trade-off, hoping the skills and money acquired abroad flow back into the national teams, but it is hardly an ideal long-term model.
Devine, who has 143 WBBL appearances to her name, adds some lived perspective. “I’ve been really fortunate to have played around the world, [for] different franchises, have played a lot in Australia (143 WBBL games) and the thing that stands out is how well they’re supported at their home boards and the opportunities that they’ve got to play competitive cricket. If anything, I probably do lean towards the NZ20.”
Men’s Test captain Tom Latham voiced similar support for a local league late last year. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson likes what he hears as well. “As players, it would certainly give them a platform to show their skillset. I think players get opportunities overseas off their home competitions. It’s looking hopefully likely, having a New Zealand tournament and that’s pretty exciting,” he said.
Yet the plan is still stuck in the committee room. Former NZC chief executive Scott Weenink quit in December, unhappy with how the future of the project was being handled. Since then the board has asked for an independent audit comparing the two options: build NZ20 from scratch or latch on to the BBL. There is also a third layer – NZC already owns a stake in the USA’s Major League Cricket and is expected to co-own a side when that competition expands. The small-market realities of New Zealand cricket mean resources are stretched.
Even players aware of the Big Bash’s slick, tried-and-tested operation see advantages in staying home. “I think the opportunity to build something here in New Zealand, hopefully play more games of cricket within New Zealand, is really exciting,” Devine said. “But equally, I mean, I’ve been involved in the Big Bash from the start so I know exactly what that tournament can bring. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to do what’s best for, I guess, the game i”
That unfinished sentence rather sums up where things sit right now – enthusiasm, but not yet a finished plan.
A few practical points sit on the table:
• Calendar space: A December-January window would avoid clashes with the IPL and The Hundred, but overlap with Australia’s own season.
• Player depth: A six-team NZ20 would need roughly 90 local professionals across men’s and women’s squads – a significant jump from current contracts.
• Broadcast money: Domestic rights are modest; tapping international streaming markets will be crucial.
• Pathway impact: More home matches could lift standards in the women’s game in particular.
None of this is impossible, but it requires cash and certainty. NZC’s independent review is expected mid-year; only then will administrators decide whether the next generation of Kiwi cricketers packs its bags for another trans-Tasman adventure or stays put for a new show at home.
Either way, Devine’s main point remains clear: more cricket, better supported, for New Zealand’s women and men. The mechanism is still up in the air; the need, according to the players most affected, is not.
