Kane Williamson is among a group of players who have been offered casual playing agreements by New Zealand Cricket for the 2025/26 season.
When the list of New Zealand’s centrally contracted players was announced in June 2025, senior players like Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen opted out of it.
It has now been confirmed that this group has agreed to play the 2025/26 season on casual playing agreements. For Williamson, Conway, Seifert, and Ferguson, this is the second consecutive season on such a deal. Allen's case is different: after turning down a central contract, he was not offered a casual agreement last year either, but has now been offered one for 2025/26.
The casual playing agreement offers flexibility for New Zealand players regarding international commitments. It permits them to play franchise cricket regularly, on the condition that they remain available for occasional high-profile series and global tournaments.
"To be eligible for the casual playing agreement, the players were required to commit themselves to the BLACKCAPS upcoming ICC T20 World Cup campaign, including being available for a specified number of series and games in the build-up to the tournament in India in February and March," a statement from New Zealand Cricket read.
News | Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Seifert and Kane Williamson have agreed terms to play on NZC international casual playing agreements for the 2025-26 season.
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) September 14, 2025
Story | https://t.co/jaoc6hCZ8V pic.twitter.com/Q6xOT7NaKs
The arrangement allows the players to remain part of New Zealand’s setup, receiving coaching, medical assistance, and access to gym and cricket facilities.
As a build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup, all casually contracted players will be available for selection for the upcoming T20I home series against Australia, England, and the West Indies. The only exception is Williamson, who has opted out of the Australia series. Williamson is yet to play a T20I since New Zealand's group stage exit in the T20 World Cup last year, following which he resigned as white-ball captain.
He has only been part of New Zealand’s Test tour of Sri Lanka, followed by a three-match home series against England. In ODIs, he played the Pakistan tri-series followed by the Champions Trophy in February-March.
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