New Delhi: Young opener Sam Konstas, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, and all-rounder Beau Webster have been added to Cricket Australia’s men’s contract list for the 2025-26 season. Australia dropped its 23-player central contract list on Tuesday, highlighted by the presence of these young talents who shone for the nation in recent times by making a strong impact at crucial points.
Kuhnemann was declared the Player of the Series in Australia’s away Test series win in Sri Lanka as he returned 16 wickets in two Tests. It has been a stellar start to the Tasmanian’s red-ball cricket journey, who has already climbed up to 35 wickets in the longest format of the game.
Meanwhile, Konstas had become a household name after making his Test debut for Australia at home against India in the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gotten into the team midway through the series, the tough 19-year-old batter showed courage to take the game head-on against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah. His 60-run knock in the debut game arguably shifted the momentum of the series towards Australia and ultimately won them the trophy.
Webster too made his debut in the BGT series and impressed his side with a fifty in the first game while also coming in handy with the ball. Australia has a particular liking towards all-rounders and someone of Webster’s calibre is bound to be in the mix in the near future.
Congratulations to Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann and Beau Webster who are all new additions to the men’s contract list 👏 pic.twitter.com/J1IQE0Y4id
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) April 1, 2025
Marsh, Green retained despite injuries
Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green are recovering from injuries, having been out of the national setup for quite some time now. But… the CA has retained them in the contract list for the upcoming season while their core group is making up the rest of the list. Veterans like Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, and Nathan Lyon continue to be in the mix.
Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey, was full of praise for the new troika that has been handed maiden national deals. “Matt was outstanding once again in Sri Lanka and we believe he can play a key role across the next 18 months,” Bailey said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“In Beau’s case he proved more than comfortable at Test level with bat and ball, adds an additional dimension in the field and to the balance of the side. In Sam we see promising upside in a young player who will continue to develop at first class level and in the international environment,” the former Australia captain added.
Cricket Australia men’s contract list 2025-26:
Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster, Adam Zampa.
While Cricket Australia has retained their core group of players in the men’s contract list, a few promising talents have been added after their successful performances for the team in the recent times. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
