New Delhi: New Zealand batters Devon Conway and Finn Allen have turned down central contracts of its cricket board to play in lucrative franchise T20 leagues that have sprouted across the globe.
The top-order batters followed premier pacer Trent Boult and former skipper Kane Williamson to opt out of central contracts that could limit their international careers in the future.
Born in South Africa, Conway qualified to play for the Kiwis in 2020 and said willingness to play in the South Africa T20 league from January led him to take a call on his contract.
The 33-year-old has made himself available for all nine of the BlackCaps’ upcoming Test matches, the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February, followed by the tri-series against Pakistan and South Africa.
“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,” Conway said in a statement.
“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.”
White-ball specialist Allen decided to focus on franchise leagues opportunities and hasn’t been offered a casual playing contract. His selection will be made on a case-by-case basis, New Zealand Cricket said.
NZC added that its policy would be to prefer contracted players over non-contracted once for selection but accepted that scheduling clashes between T20 leagues and international fixtures would limit players’ availability.
“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,” NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said.
Devon Conway and Finn Allen follows pacer Trent Boult and former skipper Kane Williamson to opt out of central New Zealand contracts Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
