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Outside the cricket field, the New Zealand team is no different from their fellow countrymen. Outdoor activities dominates their lifestyle, and tours lengthy or short usually involves spending a lot of time traveling the nook and corner of the host country. Things though, are a little different in Sri Lanka.
Despite their well known fascination for the great outdoors, the Black Caps have been largely confined to their hotel rooms, due to security issues. But the lack of freedom has helped the Kiwis in coming up with some innovative methods to spend their free time. The New Zealand base in Kandalama therefore resembles that of a hornet's nest, swarming with indoor activities.
This time, the Kiwis have traveled without a video unit (a camera to record player interviews, training sessions, tourist destinations which is later converted into a tour diary for the fans back home) but the Black Caps are not allowing even that to come in the way of their team bonding sessions, which are rather unique, to say the least.
Grant Elliot and Jacob Oram have been designated as the official quiz masters for the tour. The pair is responsible for scripting the questions and organising quiz sessions. The squad is then divided into teams and though this is largely a pastime there is also a competitive edge.
"Everyone is keen to be part of the quiz and do well. Oram and Elliot are in charge of the quiz. There is no particular reason why they were chosen because we don't have a mastermind yet in this squad. The questions need not be related to cricket. Actually, they can be anything under the sun. We are not testing their general knowledge, rather it is one of the ways to ensure everyone switches off and comes back fresh on match day," team manager David Currie said.
The team is also using its in-house musicians to liven up the atmosphere and keep everyone in good spirit. Among those who can hum and sing and play the guitar are Daryl Tuffey, Kane Williamson and Grant Bradburn, the Northern Districts coach. They generally form a band, but playing solo also works when the squad is off, or when they have time to kill after a training session.
The members of the team are also keen players of the board game Monopoly and spend a good amount of time playing darts. "Dambulla is a beautiful place, but we need to keep the security aspect in mind before players venture out on non-match days. But there are times when a bit of boredom can set in. Involving the team and the support staff in games keeps everyone in the right spirit," Currie added.
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