by Abhai Sawkar The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to throw spanners in the works for upcoming international series and tournaments - for instance, the T20 World Cup in Australia has been shifted to 2022. On the other hand, the CPL and IPL T20 leagues are set to go as planned. We recently got to know that every player who will be taking part in the CPL has tested negative, which is quite telling progress. Nine overseas players are from New Zealand, where the virus was successfully contained and now it’s safe to hold sporting events with normal spectator turnout. On that note, today’s guest is Zachary Thompson, a proud Blackcaps fan from Hamilton. Abhai: First of all, congratulations to you and all of New Zealand for successfully becoming COVID-19 free. It’s a massive accomplishment and the very proactive approach has been well thought out and executed. Take me back to how the lockdown period was and how things slowly got better over time. Zachary: The lockdown was sudden and strict. I went from working regular hours in the office to working from home and only leaving the house to get groceries once a week. Ironically the lockdown gave me a lot more work freedom with the ability to work more flexible hours. The country as a whole handled the situation well. There has always been the question of whether the actions of the government were too extreme. But we're out of lockdown with complete control over the situation. All new cases have been found in managed isolation. New Zealand's in a great position and I would love to see us take advantage of that. We have a unique opportunity of hosting sport safely where other countries may struggle to do so. Abhai: It must feel very refreshing to have made it over the line. Over here in the US, there have been several tens of thousands of cases per day in recent times. I’m hoping people adhere to the safety measures and act accordingly. Going to the CPL now, a lot of overseas players were forced to opt out and the franchises had to do some last-minute hunting to fill up the voids. For example, all the South African players couldn’t go due to the strict border restrictions the government has imposed. Given that quite a few more Kiwis are now in the mix, what do you feel about the whole CPL situation? And how about the whole IPL hosted in the UAE starting at the end of next month? Zachary: It's unfortunate that a lot of athletes will miss out on playing due to the current circumstances. I'm excited to see some New Zealand cricket players finally get some time to play. I'm hoping for a smooth tournament and for the New Zealand players to make the most of their opportunity. It's positive that they have decided not to host the tournament in India and have found a safer alternative. With that said, the risk is there so I hope the players and spectators stay safe. The atmosphere will be very difficult to replicate being in a different country with restricted crowd capacity. Abhai: Yeah, the IPL has a pretty strict protocol when it comes to self-isolation for each team. Looks like each team will have their own hotel. True, some of the guys from around the world have been unlucky to miss out on their playing contracts but more importantly, health is currency at the moment. It’s definitely not worth running any further risks. Now you made me aware of the fact that everything’s back to normal in New Zealand, which leads me to the next question. Since all sports can be held, how likely is it that you’d host a bilateral series in the near future? Are people from abroad allowed to come or are strict travel regulations still in effect right now? Zachary: Right, New Zealand is fully capable of hosting any and all sports. The only obstacle is getting the players here. Currently we have a compulsory 2-week managed isolation period which anyone entering the country must observe. If international games were to be hosted here, players would need to observe this isolation period which would be tricky for one-off games. Abhai: Maybe by the end of this year, fingers crossed, conditions could be safer around the world, but even that’s a bold claim in itself. Let’s segue to some of the New Zealand players who are taking part in their first T20 league abroad. I heard the Trinbago Knight Riders drafted Tim Seifert and the uncapped Otago opening batsman Nick Kelly went to the Barbados Tridents. What do you feel about both players, and and what are you most looking forward to seeing from both these guys? Zachary: I'm a big fan of Tim Seifert and think that he would be very well suited to the CPL. He's a big hitter who is hard to stop when he gets in. He's battling for the keeper-batsman spot in the shorter formats with several other players and will be looking to impress selectors. On the other hand, I'm not too familiar with Kelly. I remember last year he had the misfortune of opening his match bowling with 2 beamers, finishing with the match with 12 runs 0 wickets from 0 deliveries. I've seen that he's been performing well domestically and I’m confident he will use this opportunity to put his name in the mix for selection going forward. Abhai: Kelly averages 27 and strikes at 135 - those returns look pretty good so far after 35 games. But it’s an interesting situation whenever uncapped internationals get drafted. It’s a massive opportunity to take full toll of and I hope he fares well. I feel Seifert was unlucky to miss out on an IPL contract - he would’ve been a fast fit, maybe next time. Finally, let’s hear some parting thoughts. Which teams will you be backing in the CPL and IPL? Zachary: I'm keen on seeing the New Zealand players perform. We have a lot of representation in these tournaments and I'd love to see us put together some big numbers. I normally support the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL but I'm a tad disappointed to see Kane Williamson lose captaincy after a fantastic tournament. This time around, I'll be backing the Knight Riders in both tournaments with McCullum as head coach.
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