Pitch Cast

Kane Williamson is the captain of the New Zealand Cricket team and currently ranked the number one batsman in the world. Under his leadership, New Zealand has achieved the number one ranking in test cricket for the first time in its history, reached the world cup final in 2019, and will compete in the final of the World Test Championship this summer. As well as excelling on the field, Kane is revered worldwide for his sportsmanship and conduct off the pitch, and became the first New Zealander to be invited to speak at the Oxford Union in over 20 years. Interviewed by his agent, Pitch Representation’s Callum Elder, Kane talks through his growth as a cricketer, leadership, and highlights from his career so far.

Tony joined the ECB as Chief Commercial Officer in April 2019 and oversees all the ECB’s revenue generation and commercial relationships, as well as digital, marketing and other customer-facing activities, covering England Cricket, The Hundred, recreational cricket and the domestic pro game. Over the last two years, Tony has introduced a new, data-driven commercial strategy; added streaming and other video assets to the ECB’s digital proposition; and revitalised the sponsorship programme with new brands including KP Snacks, Cazoo, Lifebuoy, Sure, and Cinch. In this Pitch Cast Tony talks with Pitch International’s Guy Le Grew about all things cricket including the ECB’s management of the pandemic, the strategy to continue growing women’s cricket, and the reasons behind the creation of the exciting new Hundred competition.

James Rushton joined Perform Group in 2003 as part of the management team and has held a number of senior roles such as, running the video advertising business, MD of Australia & New Zealand, and MD of APAC. In 2015, he returned to London to head up the launch of DAZN. In the last six years, DAZN has established a fully localised service in Japan, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, USA, Canada, Spain and Brazil – competing for the leading rights and taking on the incumbent sports broadcast platforms. James talks to Pitch Chairman Oliver Slipper about DAZN’s journey to becoming a global business and the company’s huge ambitions for the future.