Tom Latham likes to keep things simple out in the middle, and he spoke in much the same way when asked about New Zealand Cricket’s plan for a new T20 league. The Test skipper called the yet-to-be-approved NZ20 a potentially important step for the sport at home, one he reckons would help players stay local during the Kiwi summer rather than chasing contracts abroad.
“I think you look at the NZ20 possibility, I think that’s a great initiative,” Latham said in Wellington on the eve of the second Test against West Indies. “When you look at the way that cricket’s moving around the world – I think we’re the only Test-playing nation that doesn’t have a franchise competition. But what it will bring to the country, to cricket here in New Zealand will be hugely beneficial, having international players to boost the standard of cricket. I think we’ve got a great standard of cricket here and I think the Super Smash has produced great cricketers for us up to this point. But I think being able to push the game forward here in New Zealand will only do great things for the cricket here.”
The outline, still with New Zealand Cricket for sign-off, is a six-team men’s tournament in January 2027, with a women’s version pencilled in for later that same year. If given the green light it will replace the current Super Smash, which has served as the domestic T20 competition since 2005. Former internationals, including Stephen Fleming, first raised the idea and have since worked with the New Zealand Players’ Association to test the finances. The model borrows from the Caribbean Premier League – private investment, capped squads, overseas signings – and is designed to keep Black Caps available during peak holiday season.
Asked whether he felt the project would get off the ground, Latham sounded upbeat. “Certainly hopeful. I would love to see it happen and I’m sure you talk to a lot of the players that will be in the same camp. A lot of the guys have played franchise cricket around the world these days and been able to mix with overseas players that have had great international careers that don’t play international cricket now but still play in franchise cricket…To learn off the likes of those sort of guys will be hugely beneficial not only to the guys that play cricket for New Zealand but also to the younger generation coming through here in New Zealand.”
The lure of overseas leagues is obvious. During a typical Kiwi summer, several first-choice players sign up for Australia’s BBL, South Africa’s SA20 or the UAE’s ILT20, leaving Super Smash short of star names. Latham himself has largely skipped such competitions, though he did turn out for Birmingham Bears in England’s Vitality Blast last winter, hammering a 51-ball 104 against Derbyshire in his final outing.
“You talk to a lot of guys that play franchise cricket around the world, they have a lot of fun, they learn a lot from different players and in different conditions. So as I said earlier it’s a great initiative and hopefully one that can get off the ground,” he added.
If NZ20 does launch, the calendar will need careful juggling. January currently doubles as Test season – a fact not lost on selectors worried about player workloads – yet NZC insiders argue a shorter window and higher pay could keep their best talent onshore. Independent funding remains the sticking point, though private backers have already signalled interest, encouraged by healthy broadcast figures for New Zealand’s recent home series.
For Latham, the calculation is straightforward: more cricket at home means deeper pathways and, he hopes, a stronger national side. “I would much rather see have our own competition here where we’re using all of our talent as best we can to boost cricket here in New Zealand,” Latham said.
Whether NZC can tie up the money and infrastructure over the next 12 months is still an open question. But, as the captain points out, New Zealand are the only Test nation without a franchise T20 league, and the feeling inside the dressing-room is that it might just be time to catch up.
