New Zealand Cricket has awarded Josh Clarkson and Nathan Smith, both all-around players, their first contracts. The two will essentially replace Devon Conway and Finn Allen, who had previously chosen to forego a central contract to pursue franchise cricket opportunities.
Bet Pro Exchange. After ending the Plunket Shield as the top wicket-taker with 33 scalps at the age of 17, including his career-best first-class figures of 6 for 36 against Canterbury, Smith, 26, was voted the Men’s Domestic Player of the Year at the NZC Awards in March. Smith carried on with his success in the white-ball formats, claiming 11 and 13 wickets in the Ford Trophy and Super Smash competitions, respectively.
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Meanwhile, 27-year-old Clarkson made his New Zealand white-ball debut in December last year. Since then, he has played in three ODIs and six T20Is. He gained notoriety following a triumphant 2022–2023 domestic campaign in which he assisted the Central Stags in winning the Ford Trophy and the Plunket Shield.
Ben Sears, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and Smith were all players for the New Zealand Under-19 World Cup team that competed in Bangladesh.
“Nathan’s been on our radar for a while, having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time,” Gary Stead, the head coach, said. “We believe he has what it takes to succeed in international cricket when given the opportunity since he has shown himself to be especially good in red ball cricket.
Bet Pro Exchange Josh has been involved in both white ball squads over the past twelve months, which shows the strides he’s made in his game,” Clarkson was quoted as saying by him. “He’s a skillful, hard-hitting player who has proven in his limited opportunities that he can contribute significantly with both bat and ball at the international level.
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“Josh will provide depth and adds value given the volume of white ball cricket on the horizon.”
List of NZC central contracts: Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young, Michael Bracewell, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls
