Cricket World Cup chief executive Andrea Nelson. Photo / Photosport
Cricket World Cup chief executive Andrea Nelson. Photo / Photosport
The women's Cricket World Cup has already been postponed by a year. Tournament organisers moved swiftly to sell 65,000 tickets for the rescheduled event, only for New Zealand's Covid red light settings to restrict crowds to 100 people in the wake of the latest Covid breakout.
Given the near constantupheaval and ongoing uncertainty, it is no surprise CWC chief executive Andrea Nelson momentarily forgot her father's birthday this week.
"It is my dad's birthday and I may not have sent him a present," Nelson says, candidly. "But ultimately what gets me up in the morning and keeps me going in the evenings is the vision.
"Like every New Zealander the last couple of years has brought its challenges. Normally in a World Cup at this stage we'd be going full bore so it is a challenge. What drives me and my team is the vision we set out at the beginning to own a moment in global women's sport.
"New Zealand is hosting three World Cups. We're the first, it has to be a success. And it has to be a success for the generation of players - Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Katherine Brunt. This is a pinnacle event in their careers and we have to provide a stage for them."
Thirty-four days out from opening match between New Zealand and the West Indies at the Bay Oval and Nelson remains determined the tournament, that runs from March 4 to April 3 across the country, will survive the ominous Omicron landscape.
The Indian team is in MIQ and Bangladesh arrive next week while Australia and England will be last to arrive after completing their Ashes series. South Africa and the West Indies are also competing in an ODI series.
"We're going ahead with this World Cup," Nelson says. "Obviously the red light settings change the way it is for spectators. Under the current settings we're going to have to bring people in pods of 100. We've got planning underway for how that works.
"Going into the weekend we had 65,000 people between buying tickets and school programmes coming along so we've got a job to do to give as many of them the opportunity to see it as possible.
"Financially the focus is ensuring the games go ahead. There's a lot of hits, a lot of impacts, but the main thing is trying to achieve that outcome."
As the goalposts keep shifting Nelson remains hopeful the eight competing teams can avoid a Covid outbreak that would throw the tournament into disarray. Under government stipulations one positive case would result in all team members being deemed close contacts, effectively ruling them out for at least 10 days.
"That's one thing that's changing and evolving quickly. Broadly speaking the reason why you put your protocols in place is to avoid that happening. These events have been staged in these environments for two years. Every other country in the world has managed it. We'll manage it, too. Ultimately we'll need to get advice from scientists and the government on how to navigate that."
Minister for Sport & Recreation Grant Robertson (L) with Andrea Nelson. Photo / Photosport
Teams will be based in bubbles and abide by ICC biosafety advisory guidelines but there is only so much organisers can do to avoid disruption.
While reserve days are scheduled for semis and finals, there are none for round robin matches.
"We've always been eternally optimistic while planning for the worst. Our plans for the teams and managing the tournament was at red light. The only change for us is around the spectators so it's not as though we're having to rapidly increase the measures we had in place.
"There hasn't been a World Cup for two years; there hasn't been an ODI World Cup for five years. This is a pinnacle event and we've just got to make it happen.
"Every team taking part in this event their nation has had their own Covid journey. We've had no sense of concern from the teams. The big thing for them is how do we keep the teams safe and ensure the tournament proceeds."
The 31 matches are scheduled to be staged in Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch, with Hagley Oval hosting the final. Such travel could necessitate the use of charter flights, though half the tournament will be played in the upper North Island.
"We wanted to bring the tournament all over New Zealand and that is still the right decision. It has meant some adaptions to how we move people around but we're working through that.
"Every elite athlete is working in this environment. We're unusual in the sense that a lot of New Zealanders are adapting now for the first time. For the international organisations we're dealing with this is business as usual for them."
