<p>Bengaluru: South Asian communities are among the fastest-growing and largest migrant groups in Australia and New Zealand. And organically, cricket tends to be the sport these people gravitate towards at a young age. </p>.<p>Over the years, New Zealand Cricket has been a direct beneficiary of this development, and for a country which is not blessed with a large talent pool (5.3 million population approx) and money ($37 million as total NZC reserves for FY25) and ($26.9 million in funding), they have found ways to tap into these talents. </p>.<p>Dipak Patel was the trailblazer for the sub-continental players who aspired to play for the Black Caps. Since the off-spinner, Jeetan Patel, Jeet Raval, Tarun Nethula, Ronnie Hira, Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra and Adithya Ashok have gone onto represent the country at the highest level.</p>.Sourav Kothari urges for cue sports’ inclusion in Commonwealth Games 2030.<p>Lahore-born Muhammad Abbas, son of Pakistani first-class cricketer Azhar, has been the latest entrant, having earned a national cap in March 2025. He also set a new world record for the fastest ODI fifty on debut in 24 balls. </p>.<p>“New Zealand Cricket is very fair to all,” Abbas starts off. </p>.<p>“I wouldn’t say it would be specifically to South Asian or anyone, but I think my personal experience growing in this environment has been very fair. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re given an equal chance.”</p>.<p>The 22-year-old Abbas, who was included in the NZC pathway programme at 16, said that the feeling of being “valued” by the coaches, team-mates and the organisation (NZC) has helped him grow as a cricketer and individual. </p>.<p>“I was valued just as anyone else would be. The bigger question was what were your skills and what you brought to the table. I think if you bring something good, NZC is there to support you and help you grow.”</p>.<p>Abbas has nothing but gratitude for Dipak who coached him and the one who had opened doors for many like Rachin, Aditya, Ajaz among others. </p>.<p>“He (Dipak) was my high school coach for the first XI and he has had huge impact on my game. He’s a very straightforward person and I really appreciated that. He definitely pushed me to push my limits the ways he thought was right and a huge credit to him for developing my game in those five years.”</p>.<p><strong>IPL hopes</strong></p>.<p>When asked if there was an IPL franchise he would like to play for in the future, Abbas said that he has not given much thought about it. </p>.<p>“I like quite a few teams. The likes of Mumbai (Indians) is pretty awesome. Even Kolkata (Knight Riders) sounds very cool. But I am not too sure, I’ve followed it but I have never thought of myself in any of those teams.”</p>.<p>“However, it has been awesome to see the tournament, especially youngsters like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He is one hell of a talent.”</p>.<p class="ListBody">Fans can catch the live action of Bangladesh vs New Zealand on FanCode. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: South Asian communities are among the fastest-growing and largest migrant groups in Australia and New Zealand. And organically, cricket tends to be the sport these people gravitate towards at a young age. </p>.<p>Over the years, New Zealand Cricket has been a direct beneficiary of this development, and for a country which is not blessed with a large talent pool (5.3 million population approx) and money ($37 million as total NZC reserves for FY25) and ($26.9 million in funding), they have found ways to tap into these talents. </p>.<p>Dipak Patel was the trailblazer for the sub-continental players who aspired to play for the Black Caps. Since the off-spinner, Jeetan Patel, Jeet Raval, Tarun Nethula, Ronnie Hira, Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra and Adithya Ashok have gone onto represent the country at the highest level.</p>.Sourav Kothari urges for cue sports’ inclusion in Commonwealth Games 2030.<p>Lahore-born Muhammad Abbas, son of Pakistani first-class cricketer Azhar, has been the latest entrant, having earned a national cap in March 2025. He also set a new world record for the fastest ODI fifty on debut in 24 balls. </p>.<p>“New Zealand Cricket is very fair to all,” Abbas starts off. </p>.<p>“I wouldn’t say it would be specifically to South Asian or anyone, but I think my personal experience growing in this environment has been very fair. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, you’re given an equal chance.”</p>.<p>The 22-year-old Abbas, who was included in the NZC pathway programme at 16, said that the feeling of being “valued” by the coaches, team-mates and the organisation (NZC) has helped him grow as a cricketer and individual. </p>.<p>“I was valued just as anyone else would be. The bigger question was what were your skills and what you brought to the table. I think if you bring something good, NZC is there to support you and help you grow.”</p>.<p>Abbas has nothing but gratitude for Dipak who coached him and the one who had opened doors for many like Rachin, Aditya, Ajaz among others. </p>.<p>“He (Dipak) was my high school coach for the first XI and he has had huge impact on my game. He’s a very straightforward person and I really appreciated that. He definitely pushed me to push my limits the ways he thought was right and a huge credit to him for developing my game in those five years.”</p>.<p><strong>IPL hopes</strong></p>.<p>When asked if there was an IPL franchise he would like to play for in the future, Abbas said that he has not given much thought about it. </p>.<p>“I like quite a few teams. The likes of Mumbai (Indians) is pretty awesome. Even Kolkata (Knight Riders) sounds very cool. But I am not too sure, I’ve followed it but I have never thought of myself in any of those teams.”</p>.<p>“However, it has been awesome to see the tournament, especially youngsters like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He is one hell of a talent.”</p>.<p class="ListBody">Fans can catch the live action of Bangladesh vs New Zealand on FanCode. </p>