Conway and Tickner return to New Zealand central contracts list

New Zealand’s central contracts list for the 2026‑27 season has been updated, with Devon Conway and Blair Tickner rejoining the pool after their previous contractual arrangements ended. The update, announced by New Zealand Cricket on Wednesday, reflects a reshaped pool of 20 centrally contracted players.

Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman both requested to remain on the central list as white‑ball specialists and to be excluded from Test ranking, continuing their specialist roles. Tickner secured his contract following solid performances across formats in recent months, while Conway returns to the central list after two years on a casual agreement and is now available for all international fixtures from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027.

Tickner has taken four or more wickets in five of his last eight international appearances and recorded his first five‑wicket haul in a one‑off Test against Ireland at Stormont.

“Blair has worked extremely hard over the past few years and added new levels to his game,” head coach Rob Walter said in an NZC statement. “He’s an excellent team man and has stepped into various roles for the side over the past few months and excelled in them. It’s important we continue to nurture that depth in our bowling stocks, especially with a heavy diet of red‑ball cricket over the next 12 months, so to have Blair contracted full‑time will help maintain that depth.”

“With a heavy diet of red‑ball cricket over the next 12 months, it’s important we continue to nurture that depth in our bowling stocks,” he added. “With a heavy diet of red‑ball cricket over the next 12 months, having Blair contracted full‑time will help maintain that depth,” he said of 34‑year‑old Conway. “Devon has been a regular member of the side in all three formats for some time now, even whilst on a casual contract, so it’s great to have a player of his calibre back on the central contract list, especially with the amount of exciting cricket coming up.”

Zak Foulkes and Mitchell Hay have retained their contracts after being included for the first time last year and featuring for New Zealand across all three formats in the past 12 months. Discussions about casual contracts are ongoing, and an announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

New Zealand men’s centrally contracted players include Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak 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, and Will Young.

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