Daniel Sams rejects state contract as New South Wales confirms 2023-24 contract manifest

Daniel Sams has decided against signing a state contract with New South Wales in order to pursue opportunities in franchise Twenty20 cricket. Sams has played 10 T20Is for Australia and is presently a member of the Lucknow Super Giants squad in the IPL 2023, where he has yet to play. The 30-year-old will join Essex for the T20 Blast before returning to Trent Rockets for the Hundred.

Sams, who played five Marsh Cup one-day games for NSW during the 2017 season, made his final appearance in first-class cricket in 2018. Chris Green, on the other hand, has earned his first contract with the NSW as a result of his phenomenal play. He was named the Sheffield Shield player of the season for New South Wales in 2022-23, during which he took 20 wickets, nine of which came on his first-class debut, and scored 290 runs in six matches.

Jackson Bird has relocated from Tasmania to New South Wales, while Blake MacDonald and Ross Pawson have earned their first contracts.

MacDonald scored fifty on his Shield début against South Australia in the final game of the previous season. Earlier, he scored 177 not out for a combined NSW and ACT XI against the West Indies.

Joel Davies, last season’s captain of Australia’s Under-19 team, has been awarded a rookie contract and will join his sibling Ollie at the state.

Greg Mail, the chief of cricket performance for New South Wales, conveyed his delight at the centrally contracted additions of Jackson Bird and Chris Green. In addition, he lauded Blake MacDonald and Ross Pawson for their consistent play.

Blake and Ross have merited their respective contracts: Greg Mail
“With the additions of Jackson and Chris, we gain the expertise of individuals with well-established credentials. Both Blake and Ross have merited their contracts based on their Premier Cricket and Second XI run and wicket totals. “Their contracts demonstrate that when players consistently perform at that level, we will view those performances favorably,” said Greg Mail, the director of cricket performance for New South Wales.

Mail praised Joel Davis further by describing him as an authentic all-arounder.

“Joel Davies is a young player with exceptional aptitude and a high ceiling in the sport. He is a genuine all-rounder who is also an outstanding fielder and leader, and we’re thrilled to see him continue to develop,” he added.

Trent Copeland and Mickey Edwards, who retired and relocated to the United Kingdom, have been removed from the list, while Sean Abbott has been added to those with a California contract. In accordance with the new MOU, Lachlan Hearne and Liam Doddrell were not offered contracts, as the number of available contracts was reduced.

ESPNCricinfo reports that Greg Shipperd will be the new coach of the New South Wales men’s cricket team.

New South Wales contracts for males, 2023-24 Australian Cricket Team: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Joel Davies, Oliver Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Blake Macdonald, Blake Nikitaras, Jack Nisbet, Kurtis Patterson, Ross Pawson, Will Salzmann (