Smith Clarkson earn first BLACKCAPS contracts

Smith and Clarkson sign their first BLACKCAPS deals.

With their first BLACKCAPS contracts, promising all-arounders Nathan Smith (Wellington Firebirds) and Josh Clarkson (core Stags) have essentially replaced Devon Conway and Finn Allen on the core contract list.

The Oamaru-born Smith, who won the Men's Domestic Player of the Year title at the ANZ NZC Awards in March, has had an incredible year culminating with his ascension to the central contract list.

The 26-year-old led the tournament wicket-taking charts with 33 wickets at just 17 years old, with career-best first-class numbers of 6-36 against Canterbury. He was a prominent performer for the Firebirds during their victorious Plunket Shield campaign.

He had equally outstanding results in the white-ball arena, taking 11 and 13 wickets in the Ford Trophy and Dream11 Super Smash campaigns, respectively. His 4-5 against the Otago Volts in Alexandra was the best men's total in the men's T20 competition from the previous season.

Since making his debut for the BLACKCAPS in the first ODI against Bangladesh in Dunedin in December, 27-year-old Clarkson has appeared in three ODIs and six T20Is.

Following a great 2022–23 domestic campaign in which his all-around talents helped his Central Stags win both the Ford Trophy and the Plunket Shield, the hard-hitting all-rounder made his debut for the BLACKCAPS.

In addition, both players have competed for New Zealand at the Under-19 level, competing alongside other contracted BLACKCAPS Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, and Ben Sears at the 2016 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

Both players' promotions, according to BLACKCAPS head coach Gary Stead, were the result of their strong recent play.

Stead stated, "We've been watching Nathan for a while because he's been a big performer in domestic cricket."

"We believe he has what it takes to succeed in international cricket when given the opportunity, as he has shown especially impressive results in red ball cricket."

According to Stead, Clarkson deserved the chance because of the skill set he brought and his previous international achievements.

Josh's participation in both white ball squads during the previous 12 months, according to him, "shows the strides he's made in his game."

"He's a skillful, hard-hitting player who has proven in his limited opportunities that he can contribute greatly with both bat and ball on the international scene.

"With the amount of white ball cricket on the horizon, Josh will add value and depth."

Cricket In due order, Wellington and Central Districts will provide an update on the replacements for Smith and Clarkson on their respective domestic contract lists.

BLACKCAPS central contracts for 2024–25

Tom Blundell (Wellington), Michael Bracewell (Wellington), Mark Chapman (Auckland), Josh Clarkson (Central Districts), Jacob Duffy (Otago), Matt Henry (Wellington), Kyle Jamieson (Wellington), Tom Latham (Wellington), Daryl Mitchell (Wellington), Henry Nicholls (Wellington), Will O'Rourke (Wellington), Ajaz Patel (Central Districts), Glenn Phillips (Otago), Rachin Ravindra (Wellington), Mitchell Santner (Northern Districts), Ben Sears (Wellington), Nathan Smith (Wellington), Ish Sodhi (Wellington), Tim Southee (Northern Districts), Will Young (Central Districts)