Wellington: Surprisingly, star batsman Kane Williamson of New Zealand has decided not to accept a central contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), which would restrict his international participation to Test matches for the BlackCaps this coming summer.
Williamson has given up his leadership in the T20I and ODI formats after a disastrous effort in the T20 World Cup 2024, when New Zealand was eliminated in the group stages.
The 350-year-old international veteran “re-emphasised his long-term commitment to the Black Caps in all three formats, despite declining a central contract for the 2024–25 year,” according to NZC, which verified the news.
For more than 10 years, the 33-year-old batsman has been a key player in New Zealand cricket. He has contributed significantly to his team’s success, seeing them to the semi-finals in seven of the ten World Cups he has participated in for the Kiwis in both formats since 2011.
Williamson is still eligible for the BLACKCAPS, who will go to Pakistan in February and March of 2025 to compete in the ICC Champions Trophy event and play eight World Test Championship matches before Christmas.
But when veteran bowler Trent Boult declared his retirement from the Twenty20 World Cup, Williamson made hints about a potential change in leadership within the squad, and he has now fully implemented those suggestions.
The batsman reiterated that he was not indicating that he no longer wanted to play international cricket and said that he would be willing to accept a central contract offer in the future.
“I’m very passionate about helping the team push forward across the formats, and I want to keep contributing,” Williamson said.
“Unfortunately, I am unable to accept a central contract offer as I am pursuing an overseas opportunity during the summer in New Zealand.”
“I cherish the opportunity to play for New Zealand, and I still want to give back to the team.”
Ferguson, a pace bowler, has also said he would not take a central contract offer when the bidding process begins.
Next month, there will probably be an announcement on the final list of contract offers.
