KEY POINTS:
Might Lou Vincent's flirtation with a move to South Australia open the eyes of other New Zealand cricketers to playing possibilities across the Tasman?
Don't hold your breath. Some will surely explore the idea, though most probably won't get far.
There are a couple of stumbling blocks, the
main one being contractual obligations to New Zealand Cricket, making it impossible for the country's best players to head overseas during the season.
Vincent, who spent some of his teen years in Adelaide, was reported to have had discussions with South Australian officials about spending next summer playing Pura Cup cricket.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old test and ODI top-order batsman confirmed that he's staying in New Zealand - but he left open the possibility of one day having a crack at the world's toughest domestic competition.
Next week, NZC reveal their 20 contracted players for the 2007-8 season. Those contracts include a requirement to play for a major association, even though the internationals are frequently unavailable for domestic cricket.
The other obstacle is that Australian states, given the sheer numbers of players, would not look at anyone who hasn't got either a solid record, or uncommon potential. Australia's best players are rarely sighted on the domestic stage.
So what sort of player might be keen to try his hand in Australia, assuming of course he's good enough to make it in that cut-throat environment?
The best prospects are either those who have done national team time yet want a fresh challenge - if they are not on an NZC contract, there's no reason to stop them making a move - or young players who might fancy trying to cut their teeth there before taking on a national contract.
Heath Mills, New Zealand Cricket Players' Association manager, said: "If your international career was coming to an end, it could definitely be an option for our guys. They are becoming well known in Australia."
One recent example of a non-NZC contracted player appearing in two countries was former international opener Craig Spearman.
Having played 19 tests and 51 ODIs, he divided his time between Gloucestershire in the English county championship - where he remains, having done conspicuously well for a couple of seasons as a fast-scoring opener - and Central Districts, where he was less successful.
Former test captain Jeff Crowe, now an International Cricket Council match referee, spent several seasons playing in the Sheffield Shield for South Australia from 1977 before returning to New Zealand and a 39-test, 75-ODI career.
Daryl Tuffey had a period of senior grade cricket in Sydney last season as he recovered from injury.
Several New Zealanders have played English county cricket; national selector Sir Richard Hadlee spent part of the 1979-80 season with Tasmania while leading the New Zealand bowling attack; Ken Rutherford, shortly after dropping out of the New Zealand team in 1996, headed for South Africa and had some productive seasons with Gauteng. Chances are, though, that there's unlikely to be a rush of phone calls to Australian states.
