Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the New Zealand players have received a sigh of relief as the New Zealand cricket board announced its central list of players for 2020-21. The central contracts list features 20 players and for the first time, Kyle Jamieson, Ajaz Patel, and Devon Conway have received the deals.
Speaking of the players who missed out, one shocking exclusion from the list is Colin Munro. The hard-hitting opener has been the team’s mainstay in the T20 format. However, New Zealand Cricket did not consider him worthy enough to earn a central contract. Also, Todd Astle and Jeet Rawal have lost their contracts.
The 6 ft 8 inches tall all-rounder, Kyle Jamieson, who made his debut against India recently has quickly become a match-winner for his team. Announcing his contract, the selection manager Gavin Larsen told the reporters:
“It’s really exciting to offer contracts to Kyle, Ajaz and Devon who have all impressed over the past 12 months.”
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He further gave an explanation to them about their inclusions before declaring the full list. Talking about the new players in the list, Gavin continued:
“Devon’s form with the bat across all three formats these past two seasons made him impossible to ignore and he’s going to be a great option to add to the batting mix. We see Ajaz as the incumbent test spinner at present and he’ll be looking to stamp his mark on that spot after some strong efforts with the ball in the subcontinent.”
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Here are the 20 players who received a central contract from New Zealand Cricket.
New Zealand contract list for 2020-21: Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
