Snedden wants domestic competitions with Australia

Stephen Fleming has asked for North and South Island teams to play in Australian competitions © Photosport

New Zealand Cricket want to host one-day and Twenty20 domestic competitions with Cricket Australia to help improve the quality of their game. Martin Snedden, the NZC chief executive, said he had met with his CA counterpart James Sutherland to discuss the events earlier in the year.

"We first started talks six or seven months ago and we'll have quite a bit of contact over the next few months with the reciprocal tours," Snedden told the Sydney Morning Herald. "We've not discussed it further, but it's still out there and it's a live issue.

An initial proposal suggests a week of Twenty20 matches between the state and provincial teams and a game between the winners of each country's one-day competition. "My view is that the more playing time and exposure our cricketers have to different players and conditions, the better it is for us," Snedden said. "But it's also a question of whether Australia would be willing to go ahead with some of these things."

Stephen Fleming has already suggested that North and South Island sides compete in the Pura and ING cups. New Zealand played in knockout one-day touraments in Australia for three years until 1974-75.