Black Caps Game at Wellington Shows Dry Basin Needs ODIs

There is something not quite right with cricket at Wellington’s 'Cake Tin' Westpac Stadium. At the most recent game between the New Zealand Black Caps and the West Indies, as I sat in the crowd watching, something really bothered me. No it wasn’t just the abysmal display of batting by the West Indian batsmen. It was something else.

The big gaps of empty yellow seats I saw throughout the scattered crowd of 12,132 in the 'Cake Tin' stadium that is able to seat 33,500. A crowd of 12,132 though would look a lot better at wellington's other premier cricket venue, "The Basin Reserve."

The Basin Reserve was first established in 1855, in my mind it is New Zealand’s Lords; The Home of New Zealand Cricket, which gives it its place in our national History. It is New Zealand’s best "Test Cricket" venue and is almost as old as the modern games itself

In the past 9-10 years, The Basin Reserve has hosted only two ODIs; one in 2005 against Australia and the other in 1999 against South Africa which was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

See I reckon if there were more ODIs at the basin we wouldn’t have any gap problem in our wellington crowds. Sure this most recent ODI produced a crowd of over 12,000 and the basin only has a max capacity of 11,600; but if the basin was to get given some funding to upgrade the max seating capacity to about 13,000. It would probably give New Zealand Cricket something it hasn’t had in along time or at all: A sell-out crowd.

One of the other benefits of using the basin is that it would give the grounds men a break from having to transport a drop-in pitch. Instead you have the traditional man made pitch which is more preferable with most players.

So I end this by asking the New Zealand Cricket Board and the Wellington City Council: Please! Put more funding into the Basin Reserve and so that I and many other wellingtonians alike are able to enjoy a great day of One Day International cricket at one of the world’s premier cricket grounds.