New Zealand will play their domestic cricket without match referee
New Zealand cricket’s money drought has been exposed once again. Now, they will host their domestic cricket without match referees.
All matches of Plunket Shield will be played without match referees in order to reduce the expenditure. New Zealand Cricket has taken a number of decisions to cope with the multi-million dollars financial loss is expected this year as they were the co-host of 2015 Cricket World Cup.
The match referees are responsible for reviewing the performance of the umpires, playing standard of grounds and on-field incidents. Now this job will be handed over to match official with the help of regional associations to ensure quality playing conditions.
“It wasn’t a cheap programme given we had to pay them, travel them around and pay for accommodation,” NZC head of cricket Lindsay Crocker told stuff.co.nz.”It was really disappointing but it was a programme we are simply unable to afford.
New Zealand Cricket said, “If we had more income then we would be able to do all the programmes we wanted, it’s just the nature of running a business and trying to compete on world terms with a budget smaller than our competitors. Now, we’ll be asking the people who host the matches, the major associations, to step up and take responsibility for quality again.”
Crocker said they don’t want to spend the money of World Cup as that will be used for as a safeguard for the future and other areas of development. “The World Cup was a one-off, it isn’t a matter of making a nest egg and then expanding it. We’ve got to be prudent about that, it gives us an opportunity to sit out any future rainy days and there is also some investment we need to do around facilities.
He also said, the World Cup is the only source from where they can earn capital for future use, “the Cricket World Cup money and the legacy we attach from there is really around capital projects rather than operational ones.”
However, before the idea came into action, umpires will receive feedback through reports from captains and from NZC umpire Tony Hill, who will travel to select matches.