Josh Clarkson and Nathan Smith earned contracts in New Zealand

New Zealand central contracts have been given to Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson, who take the places left by Devon Conway and Finn Allen, who turned down opportunities to play in international franchise leagues last month.

Bowling with a medium pace, 27-year-old Clarkson bats in the middle order. For the Blackcaps, he has participated in six T20Is this season and three ODIs in 2023. The 26-year-old Smith has not yet made his debut on the international scene. In addition, he is an all-around seam bowler.

With 33 scalps at an average of 17.18 in the Plunket Shield last season, Smith was the leading wicket-taker. Wellington was aided by his outstanding performances. This season, he also played for Worcestershire, taking 27 wickets at a strike rate of 21.14 in seven County Championship games. Before a hamstring injury ended his time in England prematurely, he made nine T20 Blast contributions with the bat, taking eight wickets and contributing three half-centuries.

Nathan has been a noteworthy player in domestic cricket for a long, so we have been keeping an eye on him. “We believe he has what it takes to succeed in international cricket when given the opportunity,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead was cited as saying. “He’s been particularly impressive in red-ball cricket.”

Josh Clarkson participated in the series last season against Pakistan, Australia, and Bangladesh.

Stead claimed that the Christchurch native will provide the team more depth, particularly considering how busy the white-ball schedule is in New Zealand.

“Over the past 12 months, Josh has participated in both white ball squads, demonstrating the progress he has made in his game. He is a skilled, hard-hitting player who has proven in his few opportunities to far that he can provide a great deal with both bat and ball on the international scene. With the amount of white ball cricket coming up, Josh will provide value and depth, according to Stead.

Next week, starting on Monday, September 9, the Kiwis will play a one-off Test match against Afghanistan at Greater Noida. The two sides will be meeting for the first time under the red ball. Hashmatullah Shahidi will manage Afghanistan, while Tim Southee will lead New Zealand.

Also Read: CSK standout Rachin Ravindra trains at Super Kings academy before first Afghanistan-New Zealand Test

Updated New Zealand Men’s Central Contracts: Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls