WELLINGTON : New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner has turned down a lucrative offer from Australia’s Big Bash League to focus on his international commitments and continue as captain of the country’s white-ball teams.
“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.”
Santner said he had considered the opportunity but decided his role with New Zealand remained important, even if he does not play every test.
“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,” he said.
New Zealand have home white-ball and test series against India followed by a test tour of Australia later this year.
Santner also said he had to consider the impact playing in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition could have on his position as white-ball captain.
“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.”
New Zealand have a World Cup next year followed by the 2028 T20 World Cup on home soil, and Santner wants to remain involved in both tournaments.
“That’s something I still want to be part of. And if I’m still leading the team then, awesome,” he said.
Other New Zealand players, including Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson, have opted for casual contracts with New Zealand Cricket, allowing them to play in franchise leagues while remaining available for international duty.
Santner said he had no issue with players choosing that route, given the financial opportunities available in franchise cricket.
“There’s no judgment with guys taking casual deals,” he 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.”
