New Zealand Cricket Announces Maiden Central Contracts for Four Players

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced the 20-player list for the 2025-26 season, with four players earning their maiden central contracts. The quartet includes Mitch Hay, Muhammad Abbas, Zak Foulkes, and Adi Ashok.

Notable Omissions

• Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel, and Josh Clarkson have been left out of the list.
• Discussions on casual playing contracts for players like Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, and Lockie Ferguson are ongoing.

New Contract Holders

• Mitch Hay: Set a wicketkeeping world record with six dismissals in a T20I during his debut tour in Sri Lanka in November.
• Muhammad Abbas: Smashed a record-breaking 52 off 26 balls on his ODI debut against Pakistan, the fastest fifty by a debutant in men's format.
• Adi Ashok: Returned to the side for the first time since making his debut in 2023.
• Zak Foulkes: Impressive start to his international career.

Selection Process

The selection process was managed by Bryan Stronach (Chief High Performance Officer) and overseen by NZC. It involved New Zealand men's head coach Gary Stead, selector Sam Wells, assistant coaches Jacob Oram and Luke Ronchi, and Performance Manager Mike Sandle.

NZC Chief Executive's Comments

NZC Chief Executive Scott Weenink hailed the new additions as a sign of New Zealand cricket's bright future. The contracts with Mitch, Muhammad, Adi, and Zak reflect the incredible talent coming through our system.

Central Contract List for 2025-26

• 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