Despite missing out on the chance to become Black Caps head coach, Kiwi great Shane Bond is undeterred in his desire to lead his country if and when the opportunity comes again.
As one of many high-profile Kiwis on the coaching circuit, the former Black Caps bowler and bowling coach threw his name into the ring earlier this year to replace Gary Stead.
Since leaving his fulltime role with the Black Caps in 2015, Bond has become a sought-after coach on the T20 franchise circuit, with jobs in Australia, India, South Africa, and a short stint with England during the 2017 Ashes.
But despite reaching the final two, he lost out to Rob Walter, whose experience as an international head coach with South Africa saw him appointed to the Black Caps’ top job.
Despite any personal disappointment, Bond accepts NZ Cricket’s decision to appoint Walter, labelling the new Black Caps coach as “well worthy of getting the job”.
In the past, Bond turned down a chance to work with Walter as a bowling consultant with the Proteas because the timing did not work out.
However, with plenty of opportunities to develop as a coach through the shorter formats, the 50-year-old wants to keep himself in the frame to coach his country one day.
“It was something I wanted to do,” he told the Herald. “It’s like anything as a player, you have goals and things you want to achieve. It’s been no different with coaching.
“It was a dream to try and be the coach of the New Zealand cricket team. You put your name in the hat, go through the process and, unfortunately for me, it didn’t work out.
“There may be an opportunity somewhere down the track, so my job is to keep preparing myself. I still have that goal, so I have to keep working away, trying to get better at what I’m doing and see what happens if another opportunity presents itself.”
Bond’s want to coach internationally is admirable. The personal demands of a national job saw former Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori choose not to apply to replace Stead, not to mention the financial ceiling compared to what’s on offer from the franchise game.
But Bond is resolute in wanting to be an international head coach, rather than any sort of consultant or bowling specialist.
At present, the veteran of 18 tests and 82 one-day internationals for New Zealand holds jobs with the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, and the Gulf Giants in the UAE’s ILT20, both as bowling coach.
Given the nature of consultancy work, he will consider international offers as and when they come, even if it means coaching against the Black Caps.
“You often get opportunities to do consultancy work or little jobs at World Cups, perhaps as a T20 specialist, where you may end up coaching against New Zealand,” he explained.
“That’s the nature of professional sport now. If you get an opportunity you think is something you want to give a go, and you end up coaching against your home team, that doesn’t matter.
“Whatever team you’re with, you’re going to give your absolute best to.”
Ironically, Bond missing out on coaching the Black Caps leaves him well positioned to give his expertise on arguably the most pressing issue for NZ Cricket - how it catches up with the rest of the world in embracing franchise Twenty20.
Chief executive Scott Weenink confirmed that NZ Cricket was engaging with consultants to explore the viability of a Kiwi entity in Australia’s Big Bash League, as early as 2028.
The alternative to transtasman unification – similar to the NRL, A-League and NBL – would be privatisation of New Zealand’s Super Smash, whereby outside investors would fund teams for a Kiwi-based franchise competition.
The Herald understands that reaction from New Zealand’s players is mixed. Some prefer joining the Big Bash, while others want investment in the domestic game first and foremost.
Neither option would be without risk. Joining the Big Bash would largely leave NZ Cricket at the whim of Cricket Australia, which would still own the competition and sell licences for new teams.
What’s more, it would effectively sideline the domestic game in New Zealand, turning the Super Smash into a second-tier competition.
Meanwhile, any kind of private investment in the Super Smash would still leave it competing not only with the Big Bash but with the ILT20 and South Africa’s SA20 for star signings and airtime.
Having been involved in the Big Bash as head coach of the Sydney Thunder, Bond knows exactly what side of the fence he’s on.
“We should go in. If we’re given the opportunity, I’d love to see a couple of teams in the Big Bash.
“I had six years in the Big Bash, flying around Australia, playing at the MCG, SCG, Adelaide, [in front of] 50,000 people on New Year’s Day. Those experiences were sensational.
“At the end of the day, it’s like the Warriors – if we didn’t have the Warriors playing in an Australian competition, where would league be in this country?
“We can put a franchise league here in New Zealand, but it doesn’t mean we have the population to support it.
“We’re not going to get 30,000 people at a Canterbury Kings v Auckland Aces game. But you could get 30,000 at a Melbourne Stars v South Island whoever.”
Regardless of what happens to T20 cricket in New Zealand, the tug of war between the franchise and international game is sure to continue.
At present, cricket lacks the defined windows for international matches that a sport like football has.
This leads to players having to pick and choose between the pride of representing their countries and the huge financial rewards of T20.
This has led to questions being raised over the viability of test cricket, given the financial resources needed to fund it.
South Africa, who won the World Test Championship this year, don’t play a home test in the 2025-26 season after dedicating the peak of their summer to the SA20.
As international cricket and T20 leagues continue to clash, Bond is one of many wanting to see administrators find a solution.
“There’s a lot going on,” he said. “Everyone’s trying to work out what the ideal calendar is and where everything fits in.
“I think the test game is in a little bit of trouble. When you get really great test match series, and there have been some good ones, it’s great. But when you don’t, it’s tough.
“If you look at New Zealand, when you have England, Australia and India here, it’s great. But when you’ve got other countries, you’re losing money.
“Then you’ve got the dilemma of players wanting to go and play leagues around the world and cash in, which is fair enough, versus the prioritisation or making decisions over national duty.
“It’s a weird one, to be honest. It’s a tough one for boards, a tough one for coaches. Everyone is waiting to see who’s going to make some sort of decision about a calendar that’s going to fit everything in.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.