Wellington [New Zealand], September 15 (ANI): Five of New Zealand's best white-ball cricketers have agreed to a casual playing contract and committed to next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup, as per the official website of ICC.

Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Seifert, and Kane Williamson have all agreed to terms for the casual contract, which means they are committed to playing for New Zealand at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, as well as a specified number of series and games in the lead-up to the tournament.

The quintet will all be available for selection for the upcoming T20I series against Australia, England, and the West Indies, although Williamson has made himself unavailable for the series against the Aussies.

During the casual contract, the five players will receive access to all the services that those on full-time contracts receive, and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) CEO Scott Weenink said it was crucial to lock in the stars with the next edition of the T20 World Cup less than six months away.

'With such a pinnacle event on the horizon, we wanted to ensure our best T20 players were ready and available to push for inclusion,' he said, as quoted from the official website of ICC.

'The casual agreements are a commitment from the players to NZC and the Black Caps, and in return NZC will offer our full support to these players as part of our high-performance system,' he added.

'The message from the players is that playing for the Black Caps is hugely important to them and I'm pleased we've been able to agree terms to have them casually contracted for the coming season,' he noted.

'Rob (New Zealand coach Rob Walter) and the team have a massive period of cricket ahead, home and away, and I know myself, along with all of our fans, can't wait to follow and support,' he said. (ANI)