The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) governing body has a new chair, with Kevin Malloy having been elected into that role today.
Malloy, current chair of the Super Rugby Pacific organization, succeeds Diana Puketapu-Lyndon, who has now stepped down from the NZC board after completing the maximum nine years as a director.
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He has been an NZC director since 2019, and has also served as deputy chair of the body.
Outside of cricket, meanwhile, Malloy has spent 29 years at worldwide media agency Starcom, working in London, Hong Kong, and New York. He rose to eventually become chief executive of international operations there.
He commented, following his election, which took place after the NZC's annual general meeting: "It is an honour to be asked to lead NZC as chair, and it’s a responsibility I take on with a strong understanding of how much the game means to so many New Zealanders.
"The landscape of cricket is evolving rapidly, both here and around the world, and while that brings challenges, it also brings opportunities.
"We know we are competing for attention against a myriad of other sports and entertainment products, so it’s upon us as an organisation to ensure Kiwis continue connecting with and loving cricket."
New Zealand is preparing to co-host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2028, and is also laying the foundations to launch its own franchise Twenty20 league – the NZ20 – at the end of 2027.
The men's team is currently hosting India in a lucrative series for NZC, meanwhile.
The AGM saw the NZC 2025-26 accounts adopted – the governing body lost NZ$7.3 million during the last financial year, a loss of close to four times that which was originally predicted.
For the 2026-27 financial year, however, NZC is forecasting a budget surplus of over NZ$10 million, with the always-lucrative tour by India's men's team expected to swell the organization's coffers.
Mid-October saw NZC tie up two major commercial agreements as the tour by India got underway. Indian brands Hero MotoCorp and Ai+ Smartphone are both now sponsoring that series.
Puketapu-Lyndon, meanwhile, joined the NZC in 2017, before being elected chair in November 2023 – becoming the first woman to head up the organization, as she replaced Martin Snedden.
The AGM also saw Raewyn Lovett and Jono Brent elected to the NZC board for the first time – both have previously chaired sporting bodies and organizations in New Zealand.
Elsewhere in cricket, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) – the organization that owns the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground in London – has partnered up with Gullivers Sports Travel.
That firm, which provides sports-based travel and tour packages and has a host of sporting partnerships in place, now becomes the first official short breaks partner of Lord's.
Gullivers, through this multi-year deal, will sell matchday tickets to major events at Lord's – including international fixtures and games from English domestic cricket's The Hundred – alongside accommodation packages.
Packages include tickets to the Lord's Test match next year between England and Australia, with this quadrennial 'Ashes' fixture always an iconic occasion.
Andy Muggleton, the MCC's commercial director, commented: "We are continuing to open up Lord’s to new audiences in innovative ways and this is another first for us. It is an exciting opportunity for cricket supporters who want the full experience of visiting London to watch cricket at Lord’s, combined with the specialist travel support of a trusted operator like Gullivers.”
