Devon Conway has returned to New Zealand Cricket’s central contract list for the 2026–27 season. New Zealand Cricket confirmed the 20-player contract pool, with Conway and fast bowler Blair Tickner included in the squad, while Aditya Ashok and Muhammad Abbas were the two players left out of the squad.
New Zealand Cricket announced the contracts on 17 June, finalizing the main players in the group for the next international season. The contract period is from August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027, and includes a packed schedule of bilateral ODI and T20I series as well as several important Test matches throughout the year.
Rob Walter on the return of Devon Conway – it’s great to have a player of his caliber back
New Zealand head coach Rob Walter welcomed the return of Devon Conway to the central contract list and said the experienced batsman would bring valuable quality and stability to the team.
“Devon has been a regular member of the team across all three formats for some time now, even on a casual contract, so it’s great to get a player of his caliber back in the central contract list, especially with so much exciting cricket coming up.”
Conway has returned to a full contract after spending the past two years on a casual playing deal. He, who has scored over 6,000 runs in 146 international matches, has made himself fully available for all national selection commitments during the 12-month contract window.
Blair Tickner has worked very hard over the last few years – Rob Walter
Rob Walter praised Blair Tickner for his dedication and development over the past few years. Walter said that the fast bowler has continuously improved his game and has successfully transitioned into different roles whenever the team needs him.
“Blair has worked very hard over the last few years and added new levels to his game. He is an excellent team man and has stepped into different roles for the team over the last few months and has excelled in them.”
“It is important that we continue to maintain that depth in our bowling stock, especially with the heavy diet of red-ball cricket over the next 12 months, so signing Blair full-time will help maintain that depth.”
Tickner returned to the central contract list following his strong performances for both the Central Stags and New Zealand. The right-arm fast bowler has taken four or more wickets in five of his last eight international innings, including his maiden five-wicket haul in the one-off Test against Ireland at Stormont last month.
Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman opt to focus on white-ball cricket
Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman asked New Zealand Cricket to consider him only for white-ball cricket. Both players decided to step away from red-ball commitments and focus on ODIs and T20Is.
Bracewell and Chapman remain on the central contract list as white-ball specialists. Meanwhile, Jack Foulkes and Mitch Hay retained their contracts after making significant contributions across all three formats over the past 12 months and establishing themselves in the national setup.
Former captain Kane Williamson is not included In the contingent contract list following his retirement from international cricket. New Zealand Cricket is still finalizing contingent agreements for a number of players, with announcements regarding Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert expected soon.
New Zealand men’s centrally contracted players (2026–27)
Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Jack Foulkes, Mitchell Hay, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.