New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner said he turned down a lucrative offer from the Big Bash League (BBL) to focus on the international schedule.
“The offer was good, I’m not going to lie,” the 34-year-old told the New Zealand Herald. “They knew it would have to be a good offer for me to entertain it with contracting and what would come up.
“I did entertain the thought of it, but coming back to what we’ve got coming up, even if I’m not going to play every game of test cricket, I still feel like there’s a role for me.”
New Zealand have home white-ball and test series against India and a test tour of Australia coming up this year.
Santner said he also had to consider how playing in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition would have impacted his role as captain of New Zealand’s white-ball sides.
“I don’t want to give up captaincy,” he said. “If that was part of the deal, it was a no-brainer for me.
“There were chats that it could have worked. But for me, sitting without a central contract and trying to captain, I don’t know if that would sit right at this stage.
“We’ve got a World Cup next year, a T20 World Cup in New Zealand the year after. That’s something I still want to be part of. And if I’m still leading the team, then, awesome.”
Other players, including Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson, have opted to go on casual contracts with New Zealand Cricket, allowing them to take part in franchise leagues while remaining available for international duty.
“There’s no judgment with guys taking casual deals,” Santner said. “We aren’t going to keep up with the money for some of these other opportunities going around.
“If it is a casual contract, that’s the way to keep guys invested and playing for New Zealand; that’s what we want.”
