Nathan Smith
Big news is coming from New Zealand Cricket. After Devon Conway and Finn Allen refused the central contract, New Zealand Cricket has added 2 players to its team. The names of these players are all-rounder Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson. 27-year-old middle order batsman and medium pacer Clarkson has played three ODIs and T20Is, while 26-year-old Smith has not yet made his international debut. Last month, Devon Conway and Finn Allen rejected the central contract to play in franchise cricket.
Smith was the highest wicket-taker for champions Wellington in last season’s Plunket Shield with 33 wickets at an average of 17.18. He also represented Worcestershire this season, where he took 27 wickets in seven County Championship matches at an average of 21.14. He also contributed with the bat and scored 3 half-centuries. He took 8 wickets in 9 T20 Blast matches. His performance in white-ball cricket was also impressive. He took 11 and 13 wickets in the Ford Trophy and Dream11 Super Smash respectively.
Clarkson has made his international debut
The 27-year-old Clarkson has played three ODIs and six T20Is for New Zealand since making his international debut in the first ODI against Bangladesh in Dunedin in December. The aggressive all-rounder earned a place in New Zealand’s central contract after a stellar performance in the 2022-23 domestic campaign. His all-round performance last season helped his team Central Stags win the Plunket Shield and Ford Trophy.
Be part of the U19 World Cup team
Let us tell you, both the players have also represented New Zealand at the Under-19 level. Both the players were part of the Kiwi team in the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup played in Bangladesh. The New Zealand team will play a single Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida next week i.e. from September 9. After this, it will tour Sri Lanka for a two-Test series and then India for a three-Test series.
New Zealand 2024-25 Central Contract: Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.
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