If you’re reading a cricket magazine, you already know that New Zealand are the world’s good guys. Hard work and humility. Smiles and handshakes. It started under Brendon McCullum and peaked with Kane Williamson: even losing the 2019 World Cup to a botched bylaw, the Kiwis never wavered. Gracious to a man, respectful and respected, the Antipodean anti-Australia.
“Behaviour doesn’t have to be criminal to be disgraceful,” writes Geoff Lemon of New Zealand’s controversial selection of Scott Kuggeleijn. Originally published in issue 29 of Wisden Cricket Monthly
Except there’s one jarring discord any time you read down a New Zealand teamsheet and see the name Scott Kuggeleijn. He hasn’t played often, but in January the 28-year-old all-rounder was back again: a player known less for his cricket than his rape charge that twice went to trial. His first jury couldn’t agree on a verdict. A second said not guilty. A few weeks later, in May 2017, he was playing his first match for his country.
To some minds that’s the end of the matter. Not guilty equals exoneration, life moves on. Except that’s not what it means at all. Not guilty only means that there wasn’t evidence concrete enough to send someone to jail. A court can fail to establish guilt. A court cannot find anyone innocent.
This should have been New Zealand’s standard too. Apparently there were dissenting voices behind closed doors. In public, there has only been the continued support of picking someone who has done damage and as far as we know never gestured at making amends. For as long as they keep this up, New Zealand have no claim to be the good guys anymore.
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