In a major development, star New Zealand cricketer Mark Chapman has made the decision to shift to a casual contract with NZC (New Zealand Cricket) for the ongoing 2026-27 season. The batter hopes to be available for the upcoming BBL (Big Bash League) season.
Notably, Chapman has opted out of a central contract with NZC. However, he will still be available for selection for the upcoming home series against India, alongside four other players who are also on casual contracts, i.e., Finn Allen, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne and Tim Seifert.
One of the biggest franchise league tournaments in the world, the BBL is slated to be played from December 12 to January 26, and the competition’s schedule will clash with New Zealand’s four-Test tour of Australia and the side’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
With Chapman vacating his spot in the contracts, Northern Districts' fast bowler Matthew Fisher has managed to get his first-ever central contract as a result. After announcing his decision, Chapman took centre stage and thanked the NZC for their support. "I’m thankful to New Zealand Cricket for their support now and throughout my career. The upcoming India series is one all us players are really excited for, and I’m committed wholeheartedly to performing in that series,” Chapman was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Gavin Larsen opened up on Matt Fisher getting his central contract
After Matt Fisher was included in the central contracts, NZC’s selection manager Gavin Larsen took centre stage and talked about why Fisher was included and how fast bowling depth was necessary for the Black Caps, and it could be interesting to see how the pacer will fare for New Zealand in the upcoming series.
“With the heavy schedule of cricket coming up, notably the Test matches against India, Australia, and Sri Lanka, we know we’ll need good depth in our fast-bowling stocks to give the BLACKCAPS the best chance of success. Matt is someone able to bowl that express pace which is extremely valuable to the balance of any side, so we’re excited to have him on the central contract list," Larsen said.
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