Ex-Black Caps raise serious concerns in open letter to organisers of new T20 cricket league
Thursday, 4 December 2025
A group of retired Black Caps cricketers, including former test captains Mark Burgess and John Parker, have signed an open letter to the backers of a proposed independent T20 cricket competition, outlining their grave fears about the concept.
Stuff first revealed plans for the new competition, which would bring in private backers and run through January, last month.
The group of former players, with hundreds of test caps between them, say they fear for the game’s future and worry about the financing of the proposed competition, whose frontman is sports lawyer and former NZ Cricket director Don Mackinnon.
The Post understands that the board of NZ Cricket remains split over the concept, with a majority supporting the idea - but a stumbling block for others being the demand that NZC cede all sovereignty over the competition to its organisers.
In their letter, the ex-players say it is time to “ask some pertinent questions” about the NZ20 plans, saying the consortium is “placing Test Cricket and NZ’s Summer schedule in jeopardy for the foreseeable future”.
But Mackinnon said it was “disappointing” the letter had gone to media before he had received it and that most of their questions should be directed to NZ Cricket, while describing NZ20 as a “unique and transformative opportunity” for the sport.
The letter’s signatories include Andrew Jones, Mark Burgess, Tony Blain, John Parker, Gary Troup, Evan Gray, Trevor Franklin, Dipak Patel, Robert Vance, Murphy Su’a, Richard Jones, Richard Reid, Richard Petrie and Vaughan Brown, all of whom played test or one-day cricket for New Zealand.
In their letter the players say they are worried that a planned test series with the Australians in December-January 2026-27 and a Sri Lanka series for January could be at risk and would threaten NZC’s television deals with Sky and Sony in India, worth about $200m collectively between now and 2032. The players ask if these commercial implications have been considered.
It’s understood NZ20 say it would ensure that no test cricket would be lost and the sport’s calendar could be dovetailed to ensure New Zealand’s best players played in their competition while maintaining a full test schedule.
One of the signatories, former Black Cap Richard Petrie, told The Post he was “very concerned about the impact that this could, and probably would, have on New Zealand Cricket going forward”.
“It would rip the guys out of international cricket in January, and what sort of chaos and turmoil would that cause for your national body: it would be like trying to sell a meat pie with no meat in it. January is peak season… Sky would look at it and say where is the meat? This isn’t a meat pie, it’s a piece of pastry.”
Petrie said the competition would benefit elite male players, but he feared it would do nothing for women, juniors, veterans and grassroots cricketers. “This would be fantastic for a small number of people…. But a huge number of people would likely end up disadvantaged. If you took the money away, no one would think it was a good idea to upend the international calendar to play t20 games.”
The letter also asks if it is wise to go head-to-head with the Australian and South African t20 leagues which run in the same time window.
NZ20 appears to have secured the crucial backing of the six major associations - Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, Northern Districts and Central Districts - which run provincial cricket as well as major heavyweights in cricketing circles.
A company called NZ20 General Partner has been registered, with Mackinnon and former Wellington player and Wellington Cricket director Ross Verry, who runs an investment firm, as directors. The shareholding, however, points back to a law firm, Tavendale and Partners, obscuring who holds a stake in the plans. Mackinnon did not respond to a question about the identities of who was involved in the NZ20 establishment committee.
The players have addressed their letter, however, to Mackinnon, Wellington Cricket director David Howman, cricket players association boss Heath Mills and former Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming.
The letter from the ex-players says they understand the ownership structure of the competition would be split with 50% held by private backers, 25% by the six major associations who run cricket in the provinces, 20% by the franchise holders and 5% by the players. NZ Cricket itself would not have a direct ownership stake, although the associations are, of course, part of NZC.
The Post understands that a majority of the New Zealand Cricket board is in support of the concept, but is split with some remaining sceptical. A major stumbling block for some is understood to be having to sign away any ownership rights to the competition. However, NZ20 say the competition would only proceed with the national body’s blessing and two serving board members are involved in the proposal.
The letter says: “This would be the only competition of its type in the world where the governing body has no ownership in a competition it asks ALL its players to be involved in! … can you imagine the All Blacks being told by the Rugby Players Association and the Proposed Rugby 360 League to allow for a couple of new games in the middle of the Test window in June and July? That is essentially what you are asking for.”
The letter also claims NZ20 has “destabilised” NZ Cricket’s current review of the options for 20-20 cricket in this country; they had engaged consultants Deloitte but the major associations and the players’ association had earlier indicated they did not want to speak with Deloitte.
The players’ letter also asks about the financial viability of the competition, saying it was “questionable” and says if the competition were to fall over, “who are you expecting to tidy up the mess?”
How the competition would be financed remains unclear. The Post understands that financial backing had originally been expected to come from the Indian company GMR, which owns the Delhi Capitals team in the Indian Premier League competition, but it had since withdrawn its interest. GMR boss PKSV Sagar did not respond to an email asking for comment.
Mackinnon said the consortium was directing all comment via a media advisor, former TV sports broadcaster Andrew Gourdie, who provided a statement from Mackinnon which said: “Disappointingly, the letter you refer to has not been received by any of the people it is addressed to.
'We welcome constructive and informed discussion about NZ20 but most of the questions raised by this group sit firmly with New Zealand Cricket and the players who have written this letter may wish to share their concerns with the NZC Board.
'NZ20 is still only a concept. We have a proposed structure and an operating model which we have presented to New Zealand Cricket for it to consider - but nothing is set in stone.
'We have engaged with integrity, and in an open and transparent manner with New Zealand Cricket, which has appointed two of its board members to sit on the NZ20 Committee as the next stage of the concept is considered. We have made it clear to New Zealand Cricket we will cooperate with anyone they appoint to independently assess NZ20.
'Should New Zealand Cricket provide its support in principle for the NZ20 concept, any issues will be worked through in a professional manner. If New Zealand Cricket ultimately prefers a different path to grow the game, then that is their prerogative as they are the ultimate guardians of the game”.
'We believe NZ20 presents a unique and transformative opportunity for cricket in New Zealand, aimed at securing a vibrant future for the game. And the feedback we have received from most sectors of the cricket community, including many past and present players, has been overwhelmingly positive and encouraging”.
'Ultimately though, whether NZ20 becomes a reality is quite properly a decision which rests with New Zealand Cricket.”
Mackinnon didn’t respond directly to questions about who was involved in the competition’s establishment committee or its financial backers.