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Max Bania
Being born in Auckland, raised in Australia and educated in Dunedin makes Max the ideal man to pick a fight with in a bar. But he'd rather just talk to you about cricket.
His first real taste of the gentlemen's game was at the 1992 World Cup semi-final at Eden Park - an occasion that suitably prepared him for a lifetime of heartbreak and disappointment that comes with following the Black Caps.
A Masters graduate in Media, Film and Communication from Otago, Max joined the TVNZ team in February 2009. He says he can't decide whether his career highlight to date was winning a Qantas media award in June as part of the online sport team, or being complimented by Martin Tasker on his tea-making abilities.
When he isn't waxing lyrical about New Zealand sport, Max is a reporter and producer for ONE News in Auckland.
Got a question, comment or story idea for Max?
Email him at
max.bania@tvnz.co.nz
.
Max's commentary:
February 23:
Black Caps T20 Series Report Card
January 17: Watling selection gamble may pay off
October 17: Deans apologists backed the wrong horse
October 7: Low-key Black Caps depart
September 30: RWC power rankings
September 9 : 15
Sure bets for the Rugby World Cup
September 4:
Endearing traits of Cantabrians see them
through
August 29 :
All Blacks can learn lessons from game of two
halves
July 19:
Rivalries highlight ITM Cup superiority
June 3: Loyalty deeper than colour of the jersey
April 15: Black Caps end of season awards
April 11: Plunket Shield team of the year
April 6: ICC must lead Ireland's cricketing heroes play
April 4: Indian win confirms new world order
April 4: World Cup team of the tournament
April 2: India v Sri Lanka: How they match up
March 30: Black Caps World Cup report card
March 29: Pitch injustice is perfect motivation for NZ
March 29: Five NZ World Cup semi-final failures
March 28: Black Caps stand up as a team
March 25: Black Caps banking on history
March 24: Monumental struggle ahead for India, Australia
March 23: World Cup Quarter-finals preview
March 21: Black Caps can't be overawed
March 12: Little between India and South Africa
March 9: Audacious Taylor rides his luck
March 8: Black Caps must win games start now
February 25: Crowe '92 heroics the trans-Tasman standout
February 21: Little gained from Black Caps cakewalk
February 19: Five players to watch at the World Cup
February 18: World Cup most wide open ever
February 7: Black Caps ODI Pakistan series report card
February 3: Black Caps must improve across the board
January 24: Black Caps rediscover winning feeling
January 20: Black Caps v Pakistan Test series report card
January 14: Franklin key to Black Caps in second Test
January 11: Playing the Ashes blame game
January 7: Australia's Ashes report card
January 6: HRV Cup deserves top summer billing
********** 2010 **********
December 24: World Test XI of the year
December 23: Milne selected on blind hype
December 21: Black Caps reshuffle the Wright move
December 20: Tendulkar's half-ton of tons
December 20: Aussies breathe life back into cricket
December 15: An imperfect ten: Aussies' post-Warne woes
December 13: Black Caps v India ODI report card
December 10: Black Caps streaking to bleak territory
December 9: Past errors to blame for Aussie decline
December 7: Woeful World Cup beckons for Black Caps
December 2: HRV Cup's foreign invaders
November 26: Grading the All Blacks' Grand Slams
November 25: Crucial first morning for Ashes combatants
November 24: Black Caps India Test series report card
November 2: Black Caps need a dose of 2003 vintage
October 18: De-grading Black Caps
October 14: Minnows tag looms large over Black Caps
October 5: ITM Cup: Where they'll finish
August 31: A winning argument: suspending Pakistan
August 6: Henry 'man love' takes hold in Christchurch
July 23: Murali deserves his place in history
July 9: A winning argument: All Blacks v Springboks
July 9: All Blacks' golden run at Eden Park
June 28: Batsman McCullum needs to earn his
keep
June 21: Carisbrook's final curtain call
June 18: A winning argument: Banning the vuvuzela
June 11: A winning argument: Sonny Bill Williams
June 4: A winning arugment: Thurston's tirade
May 27: Black Caps end of season report
card
May 19: Will McCullum prove to be top order
fix?
May 11: Black Caps World T20 report card
May 6: Black Caps ready for T20 heavyweights
April 30: World T20: Pretenders and the Contenders
April 26: Black Caps IPL report card
April 19: IPL cricketers must weigh up price of fame
April 9: Mills primed for Caribbean comeback
April 6: Plunket Shield team of year
March 31: Black Caps Test series report card
March 25: A winning argument: Blooding Kane Williamson
March 24: From the boundary: Black Caps v Aust
March 19: Black Caps running against the wind
March 15: Black Caps Chappell-Hadlee report card
March 4: Fiery Styris proves NZ's shining light
March 2: Top five Chappell-Hadlee encounters
March 1: Fringe Black Caps hit Plunket Shield form
March 1: Black Caps T20 report card
February 26: How to beat the Aussies in T20s
February 24: Untested Aussies give Black Caps hope
February 22: Black Caps to welcome back old head
February 19: From the boundary: Day Five
February 18: From the boundary: Day Four
February 18: A winning argument: McCullum's 'catch'
February 17: From the boundary: Day Three
February 16: From the boundary: Day Two
February 15: From the boundary: Day One
February 15: Black Caps on a hiding to nothing
February 13: Black Caps v Bangladesh ODI report card
February 12: Black Caps still have mountain to climb
February 3: New coach, same issues for Black Caps
January 26: Fresh faces but stale thinking from Black Caps
January 22: HRV Cup heads for final shootout
January 20: Bond the big winner at IPL auction
January 19: Pakistan need a painful catching lesson
January 18: Black Caps must either compete or die
January 14: Vincent the star of Twenty20
carnival
January 8: A tale of tennis and Peer pressure
January 6: Black Caps Test team of the decade
********** 2009 **********
December 27: Justice hard to swallow for wayward Watson
December 25: The 2009 Test cricket team of the year
December 24: Ten memorable NZ Sporting moments of 2009
December 22: Reviewing the review system
December 17: Black Caps v Pakistan report card
December 16: Plenty of pride despite drawn series
December 15: Black Caps victory a tantalising
prospect
December 14: Black Caps not out of the woods
yet
December 11: McLean Park history set for repeat
December 9: Fulton's axing a warning to Black
Caps
December 3: Bond-less Black Caps must remain
positive
December 1: Dunedin epic shows Test cricket still king
November 30: French flogging restores All Blacks faith
November 28: From the boundary: Day Four
November 27: From the boundary: Day Three
November 26: From the boundary: Day Two
November 25: From the boundary: Day One
November 24: Black Caps v Pakistan: How they match up
November 20: Who will replace Ryder?
November 20: A winning argument: Carter v Wilkinson
November 18: Black Caps banking on Bond this summer
November 16: Herbert's heroes did it by the book
November 13: We're all football fans this weekend
November 11: Black Caps v Pakistan report card
November 9: Ten reasons to follow domestic cricket
November 6: All Blacks leaking aura from all sides
November 5: Desert debacle highlights ODI decline
October 30: A winning argument: Andre Agassi
October 30: No meaningless Tests for Henry's All Blacks
October 26: Little achieved by shooting the
messenger
October 19: A year of highs and lows for
Guildford
October 12: Air New Zealand Cup: where they'll
finish
October 8: Champions Trophy report card
October 5: Black Caps hunting final revenge
October 2: Timeline - Black Caps facing familiar
foe
September 25: Will the Henry haters please stand
up
September 24: NZ need to summon the magic of
2000
September 18: All Blacks playing for pride in dead
rubber
September 18: A winning argument: The McIntyre
system
September 14: Ten infamous Black Caps
collapses
September 11: A winning argument: Air NZ Cup
September 8: Pointless tournament still offers motivation
August 31: Black Caps v Sri Lanka report card
August 28: Could Vettori supercede the lot?
August 26: Application needed from Black Caps
August 21: A winning argument: Ranfurly Shield magic
August 20: Freddie Flintoff's last hurrah
August 19: Winning the toss and electing to lose
August 18: Black Caps must conquer spin demons
August 14: A winning argument: Rushing Carter back
August 6: The silver lining to the All Blacks' dip
July 31: A winning argument: Springboks v All Blacks
July 30: Ashes come full circle at Edgbaston
July 27: All Blacks prove their own worst enemy
July 20: Wallabies fail to walk the talk
July 17: A winning argument: Tri Nations
July 10: A winning argument: Keeping the faith
July 8: Punter's moment of truth
July 3: A winning argument: The Ashes
July 2: Where The Ashes will be won and lost
June 30: The good, the bad and the unlucky
June 26: A winning argument: Donald v McAlister
June 24: Lleyton Hewitt's foot-in-mouth outbreaks
June 22: Stop whining and enjoy winning
June 19: A winning argument: All Blacks v France (2)
June 18: Black Caps ICC Twenty20 Report Card
June 17: Guptill's tears can't hide Black Caps malaise
June 16: Ryder-less Black Caps at last-chance saloon
June 12: Five famous Carisbrook Tests
June 12: A winning argument: All Blacks v France
June 11: Bat first and prosper
June 5: Black Caps in the mix in T20 lottery
June 2: Super 14 by the numbers
May 26: Black Caps among IPL's forgotten men
May 20: Will England arise from the Ashes?
May 19: Crusaders have history on their side
May 13: Super 14: Where they'll finish now
May 5: IPL bargain buys and bank-breakers
April 28: New stadium a triumph for Dunedin
April 23: Super 14: Where they'll finish
April 22: Black dog upstages Black Caps
April 15: Black Caps end of season awards
April 8: Black Caps Test series report card
April 7: Day Four: Heroes and Villains
April 4: Day Two: Heroes and Villains
April 3: Day One: Heroes and Villains
April 2: Patel the safest bet for
Wellington
March 31:
Let's raise a glass to Jesse
March 28: A change in scoreboard pressure
March 25: Time for a statement of intent
March 21: Little Master gives another batting
lesson
March 17: Bring on Test cricket
March 16: Black Caps ODI report card
March 10: Let the rock stars play
March 3: The problem(s) with Twenty20
cricket
March 3: Chappell-Hadlee series report
card