On Tuesday, September 3, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) granted young allrounders Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson their first central contracts.
According to the NZC, Smith and Clarkson effectively replaced Devon Conway and Finn Allen on the core contract list.
Smith, the Oamaru native, has had an incredible year, earning the Men’s Domestic Player of the Year award at the ANZ NZC Awards. The 26-year-old was instrumental in the Wellington Firebirds’ winning Plunket Shield campaign.
He topped the bowling standings, taking 33 wickets at an outstanding average of 17. His outstanding first-class stats of 6/36 against Canterbury demonstrate his talent and ability.Smith’s skills were not limited to red-ball cricket. Smith’s influence in white-ball cricket was equally significant, with 11 wickets in the Ford Trophy and 13 in the Dream11 Super Smash.
Smith’s outstanding performance came against the Otago Volts in Alexandra, when he bowled a match-winning spell of 4/5, the best numbers in last season’s men’s T20 league.
Meanwhile, Clarkson, noted for his powerful hitting and reliable bowling, made his international debut in late 2022 and has since played for the Black Caps in all ODI and T20I formats.Clarkson’s ascent to notoriety was propelled by an outstanding domestic campaign in which the Central Stags won the Ford Trophy and the Plunket Shield, thanks in large part to his all-around skills.
Both Smith and Clarkson have a long history in cricket, having competed for New Zealand in the Bangladeshi cricket tournament of 2016.Gary Stead, the head coach of New Zealand, has stated that Clarkson and Smith were given core contracts based on their success in both domestic and international cricket, even though these two all-rounders are poised to advance in their careers.”Nathan’s been on our radar for a while, having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time,” stated Gary Stead in a statement posted on the official NZC website. We believe he has the ability to succeed in international cricket when given the opportunity, since he has shown especially excellent results in red-ball cricket.
The head coach of New Zealand has emphasized that Clarkson’s skill set and his recent elite white-ball cricket achievements are what earned him his first core contract.”Josh has been involved in both white ball squads over the past twelve months, which shows the strides he’s made in his game,” Stead said as he concluded. He is a skillful, hard-hitting player who has demonstrated in his limited opportunities that he can contribute greatly with both bat and ball on the international scene. Josh will bring value and depth considering the amount of white-ball cricket that is coming up.
New Zealand’s central contracts list for the 2024-25 season:
Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, and Will Young.
