Mark Chapman earns central contract for New Zealand

Mark Chapman [Source: Twitter]

In a significant development, New Zealand Cricket has awarded Mark Chapman with the central contract for the very first time. 

Chapman replaces veteran batter Martin Guptill, who requested the board to release him, so that he could explore playing opportunities around the globe. 

New Zealand coach Gary Stead hailed the swashbuckling southpaw for his versatility and innovative batting. 

Here's what Stead said

"We’re delighted to have Mark join the central contract list after being there or thereabouts for a while. He’s a fine player and we like the versatility and innovation he brings to his batting. He’s a guy with a lot of talent and we see him being a big part of future Black Caps squads."

Chapman, who initially represented Hong Kong in international cricket, made his ODI and T20I debuts for New Zealand in 2018 against England. He has mostly been active in the shortest format, scoring 381 runs at a healthy strike rate of 140.07. 

Although the 28-year-old got a disastrous start to his ODI career, managing only ten runs in his first four innings, he finally made his mark in the format, slamming a match-winning ton against Scotland earlier in July this year. 

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