Full checklist of gamers with New Zealand central contracts for 2025-26: The New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Tuesday introduced the central contract checklist for the boys’s staff for the upcoming 2025-26 season, the place it awarded 20 gamers with nationwide contracts. All-rounders Muhammad Abbas and Zak Foulkes, wicketkeeper Mitch Hay and spinner Adi Ashok have been handed the central contracts for the primary time.
The 24-year-old keeper-batsman from Canterbury, Hay, struck an unbeaten 99 off 78 towards Pakistan earlier this 12 months. He additionally set a world report with six dismissals in a T20I throughout his debut tour in Sri Lanka in November. All-rounder Abbas smashed a 26-ball 52 on his ODI debut towards Pakistan, setting the quickest fifty on debut in males’s ODIs.
Foulkes (22) made his T20I debut for New Zealand towards Pakistan final 12 months, stepping in for the injured Adam Milne and impressing together with his all-round expertise. He made his ODI debut in November. Auckland leg-spinner Adi Ashok (22) rounds out the newcomers, returning to the New Zealand ODI squad earlier this 12 months after making his debut in 2023, and most just lately starring with a five-wicket haul in New Zealand A’s win over Bangladesh A at Sylhet.
Based on NZC, “A statistical evaluate of home and worldwide performances throughout Take a look at, ODI, and T20I codecs knowledgeable the rankings, with the ultimate 20 gamers chosen based mostly on previous performances, the 2025-26 schedule, and their chance of representing New Zealand,” mentioned NZC in a press release.
Former captain Kane Williamson has rejected a central contract with NZC for the second time and is more likely to miss the Black Caps’ two-Take a look at tour to Zimbabwe subsequent month.
Earlier, the kiwi veteran additionally determined to not settle for a central contract final 12 months, to depart himself free to play in T20 and different leagues all over the world. He as a substitute signed an off-the-cuff contract final 12 months and nonetheless performed in 9 of New Zealand’s 13 Exams in 2024, scoring greater than 1,000 runs.
“Tim Southee (retired), Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel, and Josh Clarkson, all of whom have been centrally contracted in 2024-25, weren’t supplied contracts this 12 months. Discussions on informal enjoying contracts for gamers equivalent to Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Lockie Ferguson are ongoing,” mentioned NZC.
Story continues beneath this advert
Full checklist of centrally contracted New Zealand gamers for 2025-26:
- Muhammad Abbas, Adithya Ashok, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, William O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Will Younger