Conway returns to NZ central contracts, Tickner earns recall

Opener Devon Conway has returned to New Zealand Cricket’s central contracts list for the 2026-27 season, while fast bowler Blair Tickner has also earned a recall. The duo replace Adithya Ashok and Muhammad Abbas in the 20-member contracted players’ list announced by NZC.

Conway had been operating on a casual playing agreement over the past two years due to his commitments in various T20 leagues around the world. However, with New Zealand entering an important phase of international cricket, especially in the Test arena, the left-handed batter has made himself available for all national team assignments during the upcoming contract period, which runs from August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027.

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His return comes as a timely boost for New Zealand following the recent retirement of veteran batter Kane Williamson.

“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,” head coach Rob Walter said.

Tickner’s recall follows a series of strong performances for both New Zealand and the Central Stags. The pacer notably claimed a five-wicket haul against Ireland in a one-off Test and has impressed across formats in domestic cricket.

“Blair has worked extremely hard over the past few years and added new levels to his game,” Walter said. “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.”

Meanwhile, Zak Foulkes and Mitch Hay have retained their contracts after featuring across all three formats for New Zealand over the past year.

NZC also confirmed that Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman have requested not to be considered for Test cricket rankings and will remain on the central contracts list as white-ball specialists.

The board is expected to announce its casual playing agreements in the coming weeks, with players such as Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert likely to be among those in contention.