Black Caps contract

test cricket to take 10 wickets in an innings against India in December, is tipped for a return after missing a contract last year. Black Caps great Ross Taylor moves off the national contract list after calling time on his decorated career at the end of the home summer.

Neesham appears to be on the outer of the Black Caps’ ODI side with his future believed to be in the T20 format. The contracts are awarded on a combined ranking system across the three formats, with tests carrying more weight.

The Wellington Firebird may have paid the price for New Zealand’s dearth of white ball cricket over the past 18 months, and a lack of consistency will also have been a factor. Neesham has been chiefly viewed as a white-ball specialist in recent years, playing the last of his 12 tests in 2017.

Wellington team-mate Bracewell may have effectively taken Neesham’s contract after a standout 2021-22 summer, where he was named men’s T20 Super Smash player of the year.

The middle-order batter and offspinner debuted for New Zealand in the three ODIs against the Netherlands to end the home summer. His ascent continued being named in the Black Caps’ 20-player squad for the England tour.

Patel may have edged youngster Rachin Ravindra for the other available contract spot.