Devon Conway and Blair Tickner are part of New Zealand’s 20-player central contract list for the 2026-27 season, replacing Adithya Ashok and Muhammad Abbas. Conway will participate in all International matches during this contract period (August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027), after previously being on a casual playing agreement for two years.
Tickner’s selection comes from his strong performances in all formats, highlighted by his first international five-wicket haul in the Test against Ireland at Stormont.
Kane Williamson, a veteran batsman also under a casual agreement, has retired from international Cricket and is not listed for new contracts.
Additionally, allrounder Michael Bracewell and batsman Mark Chapman opted not to be ranked in Test cricket and will focus on white-ball formats.
New Zealand’s head coach, Rob Walter, welcomed the inclusion of Conway and Tickner in the central contract list.
“Blair has worked extremely hard over the past few years and added new levels to his game,” Walter said in a press release from New Zealand Cricket.
“He’s an excellent team player and has successfully taken on various roles for the team recently.”
“It’s crucial to develop our bowling depth, especially with more red-ball cricket scheduled in the next year, so having Blair contracted full-time will support that.”
“Devon has been a regular part of the squad in all formats, even on a casual contract, so it’s great to see him back on the central contract list with upcoming exciting matches.”
New Zealand Central Contract List (2026-27)
Tom Blundell (Wellington), Michael Bracewell (Wellington), Mark Chapman (Auckland), Devon Conway (Wellington), Jacob Duffy (Otago), Zak Foulkes (Canterbury), Mitch Hay (Canterbury), Matt Henry (Canterbury), Kyle Jamieson (Canterbury), Tom Latham (Canterbury), Daryl Mitchell (Canterbury), Henry Nicholls (Canterbury), Will O’Rourke (Canterbury), Glenn Phillips (Otago), Rachin Ravindra (Wellington), Mitchell Santner (Northern Districts), Ben Sears (Wellington), Nathan Smith (Wellington), Blair Tickner (Central Districts), Will Young (Central Districts)