• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Kane Williamson And Conway Snubbed Again As Nz Announces Central Contracts For 202526

Kane Williamson And Conway Snubbed Again As NZ Announces Central Contracts For 2025–26

Rajgeeta Yadav

Kane Williamson and Devon Conway dropped [Source: @BLACKCAPS/X.com]Kane Williamson and Devon Conway dropped [Source: @BLACKCAPS/X.com]

On June 3, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced its list of 20 players who will receive central contracts for the 2025–26 season. The list includes four fresh faces: wicketkeeper-batter Mitchell Hay, all-rounder Muhammad Abbas, fast bowler Zak Foulkes, and leg-spinner Adi Ashok.

NZ Leaves Out Kane Williamson And Devon Conway

Surprisingly, experienced players Kane Williamson and Devon Conway have once again been left out. Other well-known names like Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Lockie Ferguson are also missing. NZC said they’re still in talks with some of these players for possible short-term or part-time contracts. Tim Southee is not on the list due to his retirement. Players like Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel, and Josh Clarkson have also been dropped.

NZC’s CEO, Scott Weenink, said the new players reflect the growing talent in the country and that these young players are eager to help take the national team forward.

"The contracts with Mitch, Muhammad, Adi and Zak reflect the incredible talent coming through our system," Scott Weenink said.

"These players have shown they can compete at the highest level and their hunger to represent the Black Caps is exciting. We´re thrilled to see this group drive our team forward."

Among the new additions, Mitchell Hay has stood out as a wicketkeeper-batter. He recently made headlines by scoring 99* against Pakistan in an ODI. Muhammad Abbas made an instant impact as an all-rounder, scoring the fastest half-century on debut from just 24 balls. 

Zak Foulkes has taken 13 wickets in 10 T20 internationals at an average of 23.46, showing promise as a reliable pace bowler. Adi Ashok, though still new to international cricket, has already featured in both ODI and T20I formats and picked up a wicket in each.

Central Contract Player Salaries

Players on the central contract earn between $165,000 and $318,000 NZD per year, depending on their performance over the past year and their chances of playing for NZ in the upcoming season.

 In addition to the annual salary, they also earn match fees:

  • Test Matches: $10,750 per match
  • One-Day Internationals (ODIs): $4,250 per match
  • T20 Internationals: $2,750 per match

New Zealand Central Contract List 2025/2026

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 Young