The suspension

Within a month, Nash was bowling again, and he rejoined the Auckland Aces for their State Championship match against Otago in Dunedin. Nash scored 118 runs in the first innings of that match, which Auckland won by 171 runs, and bowled 18 overs. Nash’s role with bat and ball was all but forgotten, however, when he was cited for on-field misbehaviour including unacceptable behaviour towards an umpire and unacceptable language towards a player. Nash received a 13-day suspension, placing his chances of selection for the one-day tri-series in Australia in grave doubt. New Zealand Cricket refused to appeal the decision; they were keen, said CEO Martin Snedden, to see an improvement in behaviour across all levels of cricket in New Zealand.

Ultimately, Nash was selected in the one-day squad, which was named the day after his suspension elapsed, but he later condemned the domestic ban. On the one hand, Nash felt that he had been unfairly subjected to an overly-harsh penalty because his high status made him an effective exemplar of the new behavioural code. "They used my profile to set an example and I feel I was treated a bit unfairly because of other things that went on after that," Nash said in April 2002. On the other hand, Nash claimed that the suspension caused his subsequent injury in Australia because it denied him the match practice he needed to be fully fit for the one-day series. "It has been very frustrating. Probably one of the most frustrating things was being suspended at a time when I should have been bowling," Nash said. "As it was, I was thrown in at the deep end in Australia while not perfectly fit. The suspension has turned out to be more than a simple three-week ban."

New Zealand Cricket maintained, however, that Nash had been treated in a just and even-handed manner. "He well and truly over-stepped the mark and NZC stands by its decision," was the response from John Reid, New Zealand Cricket’s development manager. Many agreed that Nash's punishment was overdue. For Nash to deny that he had a history of pushing the limits in terms of on-field aggression would stretch credibility. Nash had spoken many times of his ‘sledging’, and admitted that, while aggression was a vital part of his make-up as a cricketer, he often went too far. "It’s something that’s always been part of my game and I have to try and temper it at times," Nash had said in early 2000. "I think there are guys in the team just as competitive… maybe I’m just a little worse behaved. I enjoy that. It’s a fine line that you tread, but for me it’s a case of trying to get into the game and letting the guys know that I’m there — that I’m going to compete and I’m not going to give up." According to the man who once famously said "I put myself in a position where I’m embarassed to come off second-best", on-field verbalisation was a motivational technique, especially when used successfully to unsettle an opponent. "When you do carry on a bit like a pork chop you put yourself on the line. If you don’t front up, you look like a fool — and no-one wants to do that."

Former New Zealand paceman Danny Morrison presented a more balanced view in his opinion column following Nash’s suspension. There may have been very good reasons, he suggested, why Dion Nash ‘snapped’ during the Dunedin match. Morrison drew a parallel with his own suspension during his last First Class match, in 1997. His, said Morrison, was an out-of-character incident, brought on largely by the emotions he was feeling, having been dropped from the New Zealand side earlier in the year and knowing he was coming to the end of his career. Nash, having suffered yet another injury set-back to his much-disrupted career, had every right to be frustrated and emotional. But, Morrison argued, even the most sound reasons are irrelevant when it comes to a player’s on-field conduct and therefore the decision to penalise Nash was the right one. As Morrison wrote, "Dion Nash has always been known for his feisty, combative and competitive attitude. This is a real strength for him but has also caused him problems through his career. Hopefully this is another learning process — not only for Dion — but for all first class cricketers throughout NZ."

Due to his suspension, Nash played just one more match before departing for Australia, a one-day State Shield match against Otago in Alexandra, in which he took 1/45 off ten overs.

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