Milne given NZC contract after five years

Adam Milne has been given a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) central contract for the first time in five years. The 31-year-old fast bowler featured in 16 white-ball games for the national team in the last season and is a possible inclusion for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.

"Adam's worked exceptionally hard and has shown good resilience over the past few years to be in a position to earn this contract offer," said Black Caps head coach Gary Stead.

"He's always been a top-class bowler and we were impressed by his consistent contributions in the recent home summer and tour of Pakistan."

The 20-man contract list released by the board for the 2023-24 season has a notable absentee in Ajaz Patel. The left-arm spinner, who is only the