Published: Jun 14, 2016, 10:36 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 14, 2016, 03:25 PM (IST)
New Zealand announced their players’ contract for the upcoming season of 2016-17. The return of Ish Sodhi and Colin Munro, and the maiden appearance of Henry Nicholls and George Worker are the features of an expanded, 21-men contract list for 2016-17.Sodhi, Munro, Nicholls and Worker replace Brendon McCullum and Nathan McCullum, who have both retired from all international cricket, and Grant Elliott, who is now only available for the shortest format of the game. The contracts run from August 1, 2016 through to July 31 2017, increasing from 20 to 21 players as set out in the latest variation to the Master Agreement between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association. ALSO READ: Brendon McCullum: New Zealand lacked soul when I took over
According to blackcaps.co.nz, Sodhi and Munro missed out last year having been last contracted in the 2014-15 season. Nicholls and Worker both made their international debuts in the past 12 months with the former receiving an elevated contract during the summer. New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said the limited number of changes was representative of the consistent approach to selection.
“We’ve built a strong group of core players over the past couple of years and that’s been a key factor to the consistency of the team’s performance. When we have brought new players into the group, we have been really happy with how they have adapted and performed on the international stage. Henry and George have made bright starts to their careers and we look forward to watching their ongoing development”, said Larsen.
On Sodhi and Munro, he stated, “After missing out last year, Ish and Colin have both worked extremely hard on their game, as we saw with their performances for us in the shorter formats this summer.” They thoroughly deserve their contracts. He concluded by expressing his happiness for Sodhi who has made a comeback into the Test team for the series against South Africa.
