Cricket: Nash goes over to the other side

Dion Nash

As a long-serving international, Dion Nash rarely took a step back. Now he has come in from deepest left boundary to venture to the other side as a national selector.

Nash was yesterday named as the newcomer on New Zealand Cricket's selection panel, a job that will give him a different perspective.

In joining the incumbents - Black Caps coach John Bracewell, selection manager Sir Richard Hadlee and Glenn Turner, who comes back for a second stint - Nash admits "the balance of the four people involved intrigues me".

Nash and Turner have replaced Ross Dykes and Brian McKechnie, who retired last month.

"I'm looking forward to working with some pretty strong-minded guys," said Nash, 33.

"I imagine there will be some long [selection] meetings. It will be the chance to put our egos aside and work together for the good of the game."

Nash's elevation virtually from nowhere to one of the top jobs has surprised many.

"As someone suggested, I have gone to the Dark Side, a bit like Darth Vader," he joked yesterday.

The wheels were set in motion by Black Caps manager - and former Auckland Cricket chief executive - Lindsay Crocker, who contacted the head of the Players Association, Heath Mills, to sound out Nash.

"Heath called me up and invited me for a coffee," said Nash. "I was surprised when I found out what it was about. I talked it over with my wife before deciding, why not.

"I'm pretty opinionated. But I realised if I didn't do something [in cricket] soon my interest might start to wane."

Of suggestions that some might see him as too close to the players, Nash said only Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori remained of those he played test cricket with.

"I feel there are positives in having the younger perspective I can bring. That, surely, would outweigh any relationships with players."

Nash said he would like to take his lead from Dykes.

"One of his skills was to get alongside coaches and players at provincial level. Players are always appreciative when selectors take time to watch domestic cricket.

"Good players listen to everyone and then pick and choose what advice they will take," said Nash. "It should be no different for a selector."

As the only selector living north of Christchurch, Nash, like Dykes, can expect to spend a fair bit of his summer on the road.

"Every player playing domestic cricket in New Zealand is available [for selection]. A lot of the players I haven't met and don't know a lot about," said Nash. "That is something I am looking forward to."

His international career was blighted at times by injury but he still played 32 tests and 81 one-day internationals.

Nash is one of only 11 bowlers to take 10 or more wickets in a test for New Zealand - 11 for 169 against England at Lord's in 1994.

His 93 wickets rank him 12th on the all-time list, and his average of 28.48 rates him third behind Hadlee and Bruce Taylor of bowlers who have taken 50 or more test wickets.

Generally a middle-order batsman, Nash holds two test batting records - both for the eighth wicket. He and Vettori added 137 against India in 1998/99 at Wellington, and two years later, Nash and Chris Cairns scored 144 against Zimbabwe.

At the other end of the batting scale, Nash makes the list of batsmen boasting a "pair" - against Sri Lanka at Napier in 1994/95.

Dion Nash

Born: November 20, 1971, Auckland.

First-class debut: Northern Districts v Auckland 1990-91.

Test career: 1992-93 to 2001-02 - 32 tests.

ODIs: 81 (seven as captain).