New Zealand Announces Central Contracts for 2026-27 Season, Conway and Tickner Return

Christchurch, June 17: New Zealand Cricket announced the central contracts for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday. This year’s list includes a total of 20 players. Devon Conway and fast bowler Blair Tickner have made their return to the squad.

Conway and Tickner replace Aditya Ashok and Muhammad Abbas in the central contract roster. Tickner’s inclusion comes after impressive performances in domestic cricket and for the national team across all formats. New Zealand’s head coach, Rob Walter, expressed his satisfaction with the return of both players.

“Blair has worked hard over the past few years and has significantly improved his game. He is a great team player and has taken on various roles for the team in recent months. It is essential to maintain depth in our bowling attack, especially with a lot of red-ball cricket ahead in the next 12 months. Therefore, offering Blair a full-time contract will help preserve that depth,” Walter stated.

He further added, “Devon has been a regular member of the team across all formats for some time now, even while on an informal contract. It is great to see a player of his caliber back on the central contract list.” Conway has scored over 6,000 runs across all formats in 146 international matches for New Zealand. His recent form has also been outstanding, which contributed to his selection for the central contract.

Tickner, on the other hand, has taken more than four wickets in five of his last eight outings. He achieved his first five-wicket haul in an international match last month against Ireland during a lone Test. The New Zealand Cricket Board stated in a release, “The inclusion of Tickner and Conway means that Aditya Ashok and Muhammad Abbas have been dropped from the central contract list.” Jack Falckes and Mitch Hay retained their contracts after being included in the list for the first time last year and playing across all formats in the past 12 months.

The New Zealand men’s central contract list for 2026-27 includes: Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Jack Falckes, 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, Blair Tickner, and Will Young.

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