Twenty20 added to NZ season

Following its huge success firstly in England and then in South Africa and its spread throughout many other countries, along with the popularity of the international between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park in February, New Zealand Cricket have announced the introduction of a Twenty20 competition to the domestic season.

The competition will take place throughout January, with the teams divided into two pools of 3 teams. The teams will play the other two in their pool twice, once at home and once away. The top teams from each pool will play in the final on February 6, with the home team decided by run rate.

Although a not too dissimilar competition, Cricket Max, was far from a huge success, it is hoped that this initiative will attract some interest in a quiet summer of cricket with a large gap due to the Zimbabwe tour of New Zealand no longer scheduled. That too will result in the New Zealand international players being available for the competition, adding to the interest.