September 3, 2024

Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson awarded New Zealand central contracts

Devon Conway and Finn Allen recently opted out of their T20 league contracts, which opened up new opportunities for other players. As a result, allrounders Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson have been given central contracts by New Zealand.

Josh Clarkson, a 27-year-old who bats in the middle order and bowls medium pace, has played three ODIs and T20Is. Nathan Smith, who is 26, has yet to debut internationally but had a standout domestic season. Smith was the top wicket-taker in the last Plunket Shield with 33 wickets at an average of 17.18 for Wellington. He also played for Worcestershire, taking 27 wickets in seven County Championship matches, scoring three half-centuries, and taking eight wickets in nine T20 Blast games before a hamstring injury ended his season early.

“Nathan’s been on our radar for a while having been a significant performer in domestic cricket for some time,” New Zealand 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.”

Clarkson, meanwhile, featured in series against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan last season.

“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. “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.”

The contract vacancies came about when Devon Conway and Finn Allen chose to join T20 leagues in January. Conway will play for the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 and was given a casual contract similar to Kane Williamson’s. Allen signed a two-year deal with the Perth Scorchers in the BBL but was not offered a similar option. Instead, he will be considered for selection on a case-by-case basis.

New Zealand will resume their cricketing activities next week with a single Test match against Afghanistan in Greater Noida. They will then travel to Sri Lanka for two Tests and later to India for a series of three Tests.

Updated New Zealand Men’s central contracts

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

Watch: Pak Star’s Casual Stroll While Fielding Leaves Everyone Fuming

During a Caribbean Super League match, Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir was upset with his teammate Imad Wasim’s fielding. Both Amir and Wasim play for the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. The incident occurred in a game against the Barbados Royals.

Amir delivered a short ball that Quinton de Kock guided towards the third-man boundary. Imad, fielding at deep backward point, jogged towards the ball instead of sprinting, allowing it to reach the boundary for four runs. Amir, frustrated, shouted at Imad to run faster, and Imad’s fielding position was adjusted for the next ball.

In other news, Pakistan Test head coach Jason Gillespie revealed why star fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were left out of the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is in a strong position after Day 4, with play interrupted by rain. They are just 143 runs away from a historic clean sweep over the hosts.

Despite Pakistan’s bowlers performing well in the first innings, they struggled against Bangladesh’s opening batsmen, who scored freely. A major topic of discussion after Day 4 was the decision to leave out fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi. Coach Jason Gillespie explained that the team selection was based on a thorough analysis of the pitch conditions for the entire Test.

“So we looked at conditions and what we thought was the best combination. Taking into account what we saw before the game, reflected on the previous game, and this is where we landed. In the first innings, if you at one point saw, we had Bangladesh in a bit of straw. We bowled quite well, and the line and length were excellent,” Gillespie said at the end of the day’s conference.