Kane Williamson, the former New Zealand captain, has revealed that his decision to decline a central contract was driven by his desire to participate in the inaugural season of the South African T20 league (SA20). The SA20 is scheduled to take place from January 9 to February 8, 2025, coinciding with the Super Smash tournament in New Zealand.
Under New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) rules, players must participate in the Super Smash unless they are on international duty to be eligible for a central contract. Williamson's decision to prioritize the SA20 meant he had to forgo the central contract.
"I want to play as long as I can. There are a number of great competitions during that time, but SA20 looks really exciting. Unfortunately, it meant turning down a central contract," Williamson explained.
Despite declining the central contract, Williamson emphasized his unwavering commitment to representing New Zealand in all three formats outside of the SA20. He will miss the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka in January but will be available for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in September, as well as the World Test Championship (WTC) matches against India and Sri Lanka away and the three-match series against England at home.
"My priority still is, absolutely, playing for New Zealand. I think I might miss maybe a handful of games over a three-week period," Williamson said.
Williamson also expressed his excitement about the future of New Zealand's leadership in white-ball cricket. "I've really, really enjoyed my time captaining and it's been a privilege and an honor to do that for a number of years. I'm excited with what's next for the team in terms of the leadership as well and looking forward to being part of that," he added.
The 33-year-old batsman did not set a specific timeframe for his international career, stating that he was taking it one year at a time. "In terms of a timeframe, it's difficult to say. I want to keep being fit, doing as well as I can, keep trying to improve. All major events and key series are things that whet the appetite and are an exciting prospect," Williamson said.
Tags: #KaneWilliamson, #SA20, #NewZealandCricket, #SuperSmash, #CentralContract
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