Christchurch turns out to celebrate as World Cup begins on famed Hagley Oval
Thousands of Black Caps fans left Christchurch's Hagley Oval beaming with delight after Brendon McCullum's men smashed Sri Lanka in the World Cup opener yesterday.
But few smiles could top that of Sunjay Ganda, who is now eyeing up a potential $1 million jackpot after taking a stunning catch tolaunch Tui's Catch-a-Million promotion.
The brewer is offering a jackpot of up to $1m for eligible fans who manage to catch one-handed in the stands and on the embankments of venues hosting the 27 World Cup games being played in New Zealand.
Ganda, development manager at Canterbury Hockey, snared his screamer after Black Caps batsman Kane Williamson hit a six in the Black Caps' total of 331-6.
All those who pull off a catch must be wearing a promotional T-shirt.
Ganda was given his by a friend as he walked into the ground. How much money Ganda pockets is linked to the performance of the Black Caps at the tournament, and how many other people pull off a catch.
If the side progresses past pool play and no one else takes a catch he will walk away with $250,000.
If the national team gets through to the quarter-finals the kitty will jackpot to $300,000. If they make it to the semifinals he will win a share of $500,000.
The jackpot will rise to $1m if the Black Caps win the World Cup.
Ganda was one of 18,000 fans who crammed into Hagley Oval for the match; including Prime Minister John Key, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and his partner Gemma Flynn.
Former Black Caps coach Denis Aberhart was also present, saying it was an emotional day for the city of Christchurch as it continues to recover from the earthquakes.
"It's been a really feel-good event for our city. With everything we've been through, seeing it packed out today is just great."
Aberhart is one of legions of cricketers who learned their craft at the oval, he with Riccarton Cricket Club which once called the venue its home ground.
Sri Lankan fans enjoyed themselves in spite of their disappointing loss. Photo / Brett Phibbs
"They've played cricket here since the 1860s and it's wonderful to have this as the home of Canterbury cricket again," he said.
Canterbury Cricket chief executive Lee Germon said it marked an important time for the city as it recovered from the earthquakes. "It's really important that the youngsters are able to see their heroes playing here again," he said.
"There's been a really positive vibe about the place and I think it's done the world of good for some people's outlooks and states of mind.
"The coverage the city's getting from this game will hopefully make people enthusiastic about coming back to Christchurch or even investing here."
But one fan took it too far, briefly delaying the match after streaking during Sri Lanka's unsuccessful run chase.
Around the country thousands of fans also packed themselves into fan zones to watch the pulsating opening match.
In Auckland, several hundred people lounged on bean bags or in the makeshift grandstand in front of a large screen at Takutai Square near Britomart.
A nervous tension that shrouded the square in the morning soon turned into excitement when McCullum started blasting the feared Lasith Malinga to all areas of the ground.
Kaipara resident Bruce Lachlan said: "I think this is fantastic - it's Auckland at its best."
Harilal Devnani travelled from India for the World Cup and said Auckland was the place to be. He really enjoyed the fan zones.
"I find [them] better than the stadium experience because you can really get involved."
Cheered on by loved ones
Brendon and Ellissa McCullum. Photo / Dean Purcell
Brendon McCullum's Black Caps will have their nearest and dearest by their side as they chase Cricket World Cup glory.
New Zealand Cricket Players Association boss Heath Mills confirmed players' wives and partners will be able to travel with the team during the six-week tournament, which began in Christchurch yesterday.
"You don't tend to have rules around that stuff - these are grown men and a lot of them have families," Mills said.
"It just comes down to people being responsible and doing the right thing. The team has always had an open-door policy with families - we want life to be as normal as possible and I can't imagine that would change."
The policy could help give the Black Caps a sense of normality as they face living a goldfish bowl-like existence during the tournament.
The schedule will see them play all their pool games, plus potentially their quarterfinal and semifinal if they make the knockout stages, in New Zealand.
It is also in contrast to fellow pre-tournament contenders India. The Board of Control for Cricket in India recently announced wives and partners of its star-studded team could not travel with the side.
The Black Caps have been in blistering form in the lead-up to the tournament, but Mills said they were not allowing any pre-Cup hype get to their heads.
Mills spent several days with the squad this week as they made their final preparations for the World Cup.
"I've spent a lot of time with them the last couple of days and they're all very grounded and respectful of the opposition. So I think they're taking it one day at a time and not getting too carried away, which is fantastic."
The Black Caps take on Scotland in their second tournament match in Dunedin on Tuesday before travelling to Wellington to go up against England on Friday.
"I'm looking forward to watching some good cricket in the next six weeks and [the World Cup's New Zealand boss] Therese Walsh, the Government and the Local Organising Committee have done an outstanding job," Mills said. "I think we're going to see a great event."
