Four players – Muhammad Abbas, Adithya Ashok, Zakary Foulkes, and Mitchell Hay – have earned their first-ever central contracts from New Zealand Cricket. Interestingly, all four were part of the New Zealand ‘A’ squad that recently toured Bangladesh.
On the flip side, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, and all-rounder Josh Clarkson – who also toured Bangladesh with the ‘A’ team – have been dropped from the new contract list. Veteran pacer Tim Southee has officially retired from international cricket.
The most notable omission is Ajaz Patel. Despite taking 11 wickets in his last Test match against India, he has been left out of the contract. In that memorable Test in Mumbai, Ajaz played a key role in helping New Zealand achieve a historic whitewash over India.
However, New Zealand’s upcoming season has very few Test matches, and none in the subcontinent. That’s why Ajaz and Sodhi haven’t been included. Ajaz has faced this situation before. In 2021, after taking 14 wickets (including 10 in one innings) against India in Mumbai, he still missed out on a contract – again due to a Test schedule that excluded the subcontinent.
New Zealand have two Tests in Zimbabwe at the end of July, though those are not part of the ICC World Test Championship. In December, they’ll host West Indies for a three-Test series. Other than that, no more Tests are scheduled for this year.
As with last year, Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, and Tim Seifert have opted out of central contracts. However, the board is in talks with them to represent the national team when schedules permit.
All four of the newly contracted players have already had a taste of international cricket:
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Muhammad Abbas, a Pakistan-born all-rounder, holds the record for the fastest fifty on ODI debut, which he scored this past March. The 21-year-old has played three ODIs so far.
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Mitchell Hay, 24, made headlines during that same series against Pakistan, smashing 99 off 78 balls with seven sixes. The keeper-batter has featured in 7 ODIs and 10 T20Is. During the Bangladesh ‘A’ tour, he scored 81 runs in an unofficial Test in Sylhet.
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Adithya Ashok, a 22-year-old leg-spinner of Indian origin, turned heads in Sylhet as well – taking five wickets in the second innings to lead the team to a dramatic win. He has already played two ODIs and one T20I for the national team.
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Zakary Foulkes, another 22-year-old all-rounder, has played 1 ODI and 10 T20Is for New Zealand. During the ‘A’ tour of Bangladesh, he played two one-dayers and one unofficial Test.
New Zealand centrally contracted players
Muhammad Abbas, Adithya Ashok, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Will Young.
