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New faces included as New Zealand confirm women's central contracts for 2026-27
New Zealand Cricket has announced a 17-player women's central contract list for the 2026-27 season, with the trio of Flora Devonshire, Nensi Patel, and Izzy Sharp being included in the list. Devonshire and Sharp have earned their contracts after spending the past year in the Central Players of Interest programme, which is an initiative designed to fast-track the growth of promising cricketers.
The inclusion of these three newcomers comes as several experienced names are set to step away from the contracted roster. Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, and Lea Tahuhu are no longer part of the central contract list. Lauren Down has already brought her international career to a close, while Bates and Tahuhu are likely to retire from international cricket following the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, veteran all-rounder Sophie Devine, who operated under a casual playing agreement during the previous season, is also absent from the latest contract announcements. Amidst the changes, New Zealand have retained a strong group of experienced performers. Captain Melie Kerr leads the group that includes key players such as Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, and Georgia Plimmer.
"Flora's a clean striker with lots of power. Being left-handed she offers a point of difference as she's able to hit to different areas of the field, and there's the added bonus of her left-arm orthodox bowling," New Zealand head coach Ben Sawyer said as quoted in the NZC release.
"Nensi's consistently accurate with the ball, and she has great control over her length and pace.
"Izzy's batting has been building from strength to strength. She possesses similar qualities to Sophie and with Soph stepping away from international cricket soon, it's really exciting to bring someone with Izzy's power onto a central contract so we can keep working with her to develop those skills."
New Zealand central contract: Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Nensi Patel, Molly Penfold,Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Izzy Sharp
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