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New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have added two players to their central contract list in Josh Clarkson and Nathan Smith. The two all-rounders have been awarded contracts for the first time, replacing openers Finn Allen and Devon Conway. Conway and Allen recently opted out of central contracts to be more available for franchise cricket.
Smith was notably named the Men's Domestic Player of the Year during the ANZ NZC awards in March 2024. The 26-year-old has been a standout performer for the Wellington Firebirds as he topped the wicket-taking charts, bagging 33 scalps at 17 apiece. He snared 11 and 13 wickets respectively in the Ford Trophy and Dream11 Super Smash campaigns.
Meanwhile, Clarkson is already capped at the international level, having featured in three ODIs and six T20Is since debuting in December 2023. His all-round performances for the Central Stags in the 2022-23 domestic campaign allowed him to make his first international appearance.
New Zealand 2024-25 centrally contracted players: Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
New Zealand coach addresses additions to the central contract list
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said Nathan Smith seems like a bright prospect for the red-ball format and backed him to shine when offered the opportunity. He said, as quoted by nzc.nz:
"Nathan’s been on our radar for a while having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time. He’s been particularly impressive in red-ball cricket and we think he has the skills to be successful in international cricket when he gets a chance."
Speaking about Clarkson, Stead claimed:
"Josh has been involved in both white-ball squads over the past 12 months which shows the strides he’s made in his game. He’s a hard-hitting player with plenty of skills and has shown in his chances so far that he can offer a lot with bat and ball on the international stage."
The Black Caps will take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test at Greater Noida later this month.
