Editorial: Cricket fever is taking hold

The cricket action starts on Saturday.

We have some pretty excited boys in our newsroom this week.

And no, it's nothing to do with today's 50 Shades of Grey premiere.

The ICC Cricket World Cup will be formally opened tonight in Christchurch, with the Black Caps taking on Sri Lanka in Saturday's tournament opener.

It runs for six weeks, with New Zealand sharing the hosting duties with Australia.

There's something about big sporting events such as world cups - whatever the sport - that's infectious. Even those with only a passing interest in a sport tend to get sucked in when all the excitement and hype begins. Think the football World Cup, the America's Cup, the Olympics.

We'll get patriotic, we'll get excited and we'll all become instant experts in the intricacies of the game. The true blue cricket fans may call it "jumping on the bandwagon" but I prefer to call it supporting our side when they need it most.

By all accounts, there's an added sense of anticipation this year due to the Black Caps' recent form. They are in with a good chance of winning, say the newsroom pundits. No pressure, Black Caps. There's only 4 million or so Kiwis watching expectantly.

While there are no matches in Rotorua, there are some just down the road in Hamilton. Plenty of Rotorua sports fans will be making the journey over, as well as to other matches around the country.

Rotorua will also be hoping to benefit economically from the tournament. The multitude of overseas supporters in the country will have down time, and it seems likely some will spend non-match days seeing a bit of the country.

So get set to hear a lot of cricket talk in Rotorua's bars over the next few weeks, quite possibly in a range of different accents.

Go the Black Caps!