Cricket and Christmas

These are the two things that vie for importance in my world next to economics and numbers. 

 Mind you they are all related. 

That is, you cannot have cricket without sunshine. 

And, to be honest, sunshine is not really of much use unless there is a cricket game to watch, score, play and/or umpire.

Some fanatics might argue that numbers were invented for cricket, but I could never go so far. 

However, cricket without numbers (and the myriad of statistics that can go with them) is clearly meaningless.

That leaves the relationship between economics and cricket. 

I will admit that this relationship is not widely understood, so please allow me to clarify.

While economics may not be a team sport, an economy will not function efficiently if its constituent individuals or members are not operating to their potential. 

And the relationship between the members is critical. 

If the dairy processing sector is underperforming, then the team is operating under a severe handicap, irrespective of how well the dairy farming sector is going.

Many will be familiar with the difficulties encountered in posting a respectable run total if the opening batsmen are not performing their role.

Likewise, accumulating a sufficient export earnings total will not be easy if the foundation is not set by the openers. 

For the NZ economy, the opening batsmen are probably dairy processing and tourism, given their lead status in terms of export receipts. 

This ordering may contravene the cardinal rule of sending in your best batsmen at number three. 

But it is not as if we have an embarrassment of riches in order to adhere to such niceties.

Forestry and meat are definitely up there in the export stakes, but the young guns of kiwifruit, wine and education are pressing their case for inclusion in the top tier. 

Film may also be looking for inclusion in the team, perhaps for the shorter and, allegedly, more entertaining version of the sport.

But if export earnings are runs on the board, what is the equivalent of the wickets?  And, consequently, who are the bowlers?   

Acting as a break on export earnings are inflationary pressures.  When inflation stalks the landscape export earnings become harder and harder to accumulate. 

And when we are able to tackle inflation better than our competitors then the export markets and accompanying dollars flow in our direction much more easily.