New Zealand may be a small nation, but its cricket team continues to impress fans. The Blackcaps have some of the top players on their roster.
These players have made themselves a name by standing up in every situation and performing at their best. So such players deserve more than just applause.
And thus their cricket board, New Zealand Cricket (NZC), offers them central contracts and salaries. If you are curious to know how much New Zealand cricketers earn, then read on.
This article will look at the New Zealand cricket players’ salaries and central contracts.
New Zealand Cricket Players Central Contract List
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) awarded central contracts to 20 cricketers for the 2025-26 season. Their contract period runs from July 2025 to June 2026.
The board retained 16 players from the previous contract cycle, while no contract was offered to four players.
Here are the four players removed from central contracts:
- Ajaz Patel
- Ish Sodhi
- Josh Clarkson
- Tim Southee
Southee missed out on the contract, as he announced his retirement from international cricket last year.
NZC replaced the above four with new players. These newly contracted players earned their contracts based on their strong, promising performances in the last season.
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Here are the newly contracted players:
- Aditya Ashok
- Mitchell Hay
- Muhammad Abbas
- Zak Foulkes
Here’s a list of all New Zealand contracted cricket players:
| Player | Retained/New |
|---|---|
| Ben Sears | Retained |
| Daryl Mitchell | Retained |
| Glenn Phillips | Retained |
| Henry Nicholls | Retained |
| Jacob Duffy | Retained |
| Kyle Jamieson | Retained |
| Mark Chapman | Retained |
| Matt Henry | Retained |
| Michael Bracewell | Retained |
| Mitchell Santner | Retained |
| Nathan Smith | Retained |
| Rachin Ravindra | Retained |
| Tom Blundell | Retained |
| Tom Latham | Retained |
| Will O’Rourke | Retained |
| Will Young | Retained |
| Adithya Ashok | Newly Contracted |
| Mitchell Hay | Newly Contracted |
| Muhammad Abbas | Newly Contracted |
| Zak Foulkes | Newly Contracted |
While all these players have central contracts, New Zealand offers one more category of contract. And it’s known as the ‘Casual Playing Agreement’. In simple terms, it’s a casual contract.
But what is a casual contract?
So the casual contract gives players some flexibility. This allows players to find a balance between international and franchise cricket.
Those with casual contracts make themselves available for a few important bilateral series and ICC events. But outside that, they can participate in different T20 leagues.
The NZC has signed up four players under this arrangement.
Here are the New Zealand players with a Casual Playing Agreement:
- Devon Conway
- Kane Williamson
- Lockie Ferguson
- Tim Seifert
Now let’s see how much salary New Zealand cricketers earn each year.
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New Zealand Cricket Players Annual Salary
Although exact numbers are not public, a New Zealand cricketer’s annual salary ranges between NZ$165,000 and NZ$318,000.
The exact salary a player earns depends on his overall performance in the contract period. The top-performing players across formats generally take home NZ$318,000.
But how does NZC determine the salaries of players?
So the NZC assesses each player’s performance in each format and awards them points. The players with the most points receive the highest salary.
Alongside the hefty paycheques, New Zealand’s players also earn match fees for playing every international cricket match.
Here are the match fees paid to New Zealand cricketers:
| Format | Match Fee Per Match |
|---|---|
| Test | NZ$10,750 |
| ODI | NZ$4,250 |
| T20I | NZ$2,750 |
