Smith, Clarkson earn maiden NZC central contracts

New Zealand Cricket have handed out maiden contracts to allrounders Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson. The duo will effectively replace Devon Conway and Finn Allen, who had earlier opted out of a central contract to pursue franchise cricket opportunities.

Smith, 26, was named the Men's Domestic Player of the Year at the NZC Awards in March after finishing the Plunket Shield as the leading wicket-taker with 33 scalps at just 17, including his career-best first-class figures of 6 for 36 against Canterbury. Smith continued his run in the white-ball formats, taking 11 and 13 wickets respectively in the Ford Trophy and Super Smash tournaments that followed.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Clarkson made his white-ball debut for New Zealand last December, and has featured in three ODIs and six T20Is since. He came into spotlight after a successful 2022-23 domestic season, helping Central Stags lift both the Plunket Shield and the Ford Trophy.

Both Smith and Clarkson were a part of the New Zealand Under-19 World Cup side, played in Bangladesh, alongside Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Ben Sears.

"Nathan's been on our radar for a while having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time," said head coach Gary Stead. "He's been particularly impressive in red ball cricket and we think he has the skills to be successful in international cricket when he gets a chance.

"Josh has been involved in both white ball squads over the past twelve months which shows the strides he's made in his game," he said of Clarkson. "He's a hard-hitting player with plenty of skills and has shown in his chances so far that he can offer a lot with bat and ball on the international stage.

"Josh will provide depth and adds value given the volume of white ball cricket on the horizon."

NZC central contracts list: 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