Jimmy Neesham rejects NZC central contracts, Finn Allen and Blair Tickner gets first contracts

New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham has followed the suit of teammate Trent Boult as he declines New Zealand Cricket's central contract. Last month, Boult dropped out of the central contract to spend some time with his family. At that time, he also said that he is open to playing in the franchise T20 Leagues around the globe. The all-rounder was offered two slots vacated by Boult and retired Colin de Grandhomme.

However, Jimmy has decided not to be under the central contract. Notably, unlike Boult, he wasn't part of the central contract initially. During that phase, the left-hander made some commitments with the T20 Leagues. The 31-year-old has registered himself for the SA20 player auctions to be held on September 19. Now, the spots vacated by Boult and De Grandhomme have been filled by Finn Allen and Blair Tickner.

Gary Stead speaks highly of Finn Allen and Blair Tickner

The Blackcaps head coach Gary Stead has spoken highly of Allen and Tickner. About Allen, Stead said that the former has a lot of potential and immense talent. Stead also spoke about the match-winning innings against the West Indies in Barbados last month.

“Finn clearly has huge talent and potential. He's shown he's up to the international level in his limited opportunities to date. In particular, his match-winning 96 against West Indies on a difficult wicket in Barbados showed his class and maturity,” said Gary Stead.

Aboy Tickner, the head coach of the Men In Black said that the pacer keeps improving and is impressive in the Test format.

“Blair's been in Blackcaps squads for all three formats over the past 12 months which is a testament to his progress. He's a bowler who just keeps improving and we've been particularly impressed with his red-ball development, which saw him in the recent squads for the England and South Africa Tests. He knows the environment, understands his role, and bowls with good pace and aggression,” Stead added.