With his immediate future secured, Black Caps hopeful Nathan Smith is now targeting international cricket.
Smith, 26, was on Tuesday confirmed on New Zealand Cricket’s 20-strong central contract list - despite having never featured in a Black Caps squad in any format.
But, as the Black Caps’ golden generation continues to age, Smith will likely get a chance to show his wares sooner rather than later.
In first-class cricket, he averages a handy 27.02 runs with the bat, to go with 144 wickets at just under 26. Last season, the Wellington all-rounder topped the wicket-taking charts in the Plunket Shield with 33 at an average of just over 17, to go with 13 at 19.15 in the T20 Super Smash.
However, the reality is Smith has only been afforded a central contract after the likes of Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Devon Conway and Finn Allen opted out to pursue franchise opportunities.
Yet, Smith was a strange omission from the original list of NZC contracts, after being named as the Plunket Shield’s player of the season last summer.
Smith is no stranger to the global circuit. After the home summer, he picked up an overseas deal in English County Cricket for Worcestershire, in both red and white ball cricket.
In seven first-class games, he took 27 wickets at an average of 21.14, and eight wickets in nine T20s at 30.25.
But despite the lure of the life of a freelance short-form specialist, Smith has his sights locked on international cricket first and foremost.
“Personally, for me 100%,” he said. “Each guy’s got to make their own decision about what they want to do for their career.
“But for me, at this stage, it’s about having a good international career for New Zealand.
“[I’ll] just keep building my career brick-by-brick, and hopefully that sorts itself out.”
Before the Black Caps faced England last year, coach Gary Stead said all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme was the player he’d had the most trouble replacing, after his sudden international retirement in 2022.
Of all the players currently available for New Zealand, Smith arguably best fits that role.
Under Gary Stead, the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and now Glenn Phillips have been utilised at No 7, with limited success as an all-rounder.
All three are out-and-out top-order players, shoehorned into the side in the hope of adding something as a fifth bowler.
And while Smith’s record with the bat has so far yielded modest returns, the potential is clearly there.
Nathan Smith celebrates a wicket for Wellington. Photo / Photosport
Smith was joined as a new contractee by Central Districts’ Josh Clarkson, another all-rounder.
Of the two, Smith’s numbers show he’s the better bowler, while Clarkson is slightly ahead with the bat.
In Clarkson’s favour, is that he’s already tasted international cricket against Bangladesh and Australia over last summer.
Regardless of who he’s up against, though, test all-rounder is a job Smith wants.
“That’s the goal, to try and bat No 7 in a test team,” he added. “That’s what sets me apart from other seamers, potentially having that batting there that can add a bit of balance to a side.
“I’m always going to try and work on that, to try and get as good as I can with my batting to try and help the team.
“I love cricket, all formats are great, they have their little niches. But I’m a purist, I love the long format of the game.
“It’s the format I’ve had the most success in so far. That doesn’t say I’m not trying to become an all-format player. I definitely think I can play all three formats.
“For me, it’s about trying to stay on the park, stay fit and perform for whoever I’m playing for.”
As stated by Stead previously, contracts are not a matter of selection.
New Zealand Cricket will still pick players who are not in their central system, such as Williamson, Conway and Trent Boult, provided internationals don’t overlap with their franchise commitments.
And with that on board, Smith knows there is still plenty to do before he wears the silver fern.
“In the short term, nothing changes too much,” he added. “It’s [about] going about my business the same with Wellington.
“Hopefully [I can] contribute to some performances for Wellington.
“Hopefully that call comes someday soon, this is a nice step in the right direction.”
NZ Cricket central contracts list 2024/25 (alphabetical order):
Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.
