Auckland (New Zealand): The trend of declining central contracts in New Zealand cricket continues as two of their star openers, who have been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) regularly, have followed the footsteps of their former captain Kane Williamson and pace spearhead Trent Boult.
These two batters are none other than Devon Conway and Finn Allen. Both the cricketers have turned down the central contracts offered by New Zealand Cricket in July 2024, citing that they want to focus on franchise cricket.
However, the wicketkeeper-batter Conway will be available for New Zealand's international assignments through a casual agreement similar to the one Williamson signed with NZC recently. It means that the left-hand batter will continue to feature in the national jersey unless international matches do not overlap his franchise commitments.
"Firstly, I'd like to thank New Zealand Cricket for their support through this process," Conway said in a video posted by Blackcaps on 'X'. "Playing for the Black Caps is still the pinnacle for me and I'm hugely passionate about representing New Zealand and winning games of international cricket."
Contract News | Devon Conway will represent the BLACKCAPS on a casual playing contract this summer, while Finn Allen has turned down a central contract offer and has not been offered a casual playing contract. #CricketNationhttps://t.co/aanYLchmqK
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) August 15, 2024
Conway also mentioned that the decision to opt out of the central contract was taken in the best interest of his family. "The decision to move away from a central playing contract isn't one I've taken lightly, but I believe it is the best for me and my family at this present time," he added.
Recently, just after the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the former white-ball captain refused the central contract, following which two-star pacers of the country Adam Milne and Lockie Ferguson pulled their names from the list, but also have a similar understanding with the NZC like Conway.
"We're delighted with Devon's decision to commit to the Blackcaps - he's a quality player who's made a strong contribution to the team over the past few years," said NZC chief executive Scott Weenink.
"In the current environment it's important to have flexibility in our system to navigate some of the challenges posed by franchise cricket - and this is another example of how we're working hard to retain our best players," he further added.
Players opting out of the central contracts has become a serious issue for the New Zealand Cricket Board as as many as six players have already declined it to focus on franchise league commitments.
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