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Wellington, September 3 (HS). New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has given its first contracts to all-rounders Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson. The pair will effectively replace Devon Conway and Finn Allen, who opted out of the central contract to take advantage of franchise cricket opportunities.
The 26-year-old Smith was named the domestic player of the year at the NZC Awards in March, finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield with 33 wickets at an average of just 17. He also took 6 for 36 against Canterbury, his career-best first-class performance. Smith continued his form in the white-ball format, taking 11 and 13 wickets in the Ford Trophy and Super Smash tournaments respectively.
Meanwhile, Clarkson, 27, made his white-ball debut for New Zealand last December and has since played three ODIs and six T20Is. He came into the limelight after a successful 2022-23 domestic season, helping the Central Stags win both the Plunket Shield and the Ford Trophy.
Both Smith and Clarkson were part of the New Zealand Under-19 World Cup squad that played in Bangladesh, which included Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Ben Sears.
Head coach Gary Stead said, “Nathan has been on our radar for some time now as he has been performing well in domestic cricket for some time now. He has been particularly impressive in red ball cricket and we feel he has the skills to succeed in international cricket when he gets the opportunity.”
About Clarkson, he said, “Josh has been involved in both white-ball teams over the last twelve months, which shows the progress he has made in his game. He is a tough player with a lot of skill and has shown in his opportunities so far that he can offer a lot with bat and ball at the international level.”
NZC Central Contracts List: 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.