Sinclair takes up New Zealand deal

Mathew Sinclair has accepted a New Zealand Cricket contract, saying he wants to have "a bloody good crack" at international level. Sinclair was the late addition to New Zealand's 20-man squad after Hamish Marshall rejected his offer and decided to stay in England as a county player.

When he was originally left off the list, the disappointed Sinclair said he would consider moving overseas to pursue his cricket career. However, he found that was easier said than done and was delighted to get a second chance with New Zealand.

"In the end it wasn't a hard decision," Sinclair told NZPA. "They [NZC] have given me some sort of lifeline, some sort of faith, so now I want to try to return that really. It still opens up the possibility of going overseas and playing as well while the Black Caps are away [if not selected]."

Sinclair spent much of the past fortnight emailing clubs and counties abroad to see where his future might lie but discovered it was a difficult task. "I let them know that I was a free agent," he said. "What came back most of the time was that they had already filled their professional quota.

"So it was a matter of waiting for one of them to get injured. Now this has come up. It gives me financial security for a year and I can get out there and give it a bloody good crack." Sinclair will stay with Central Districts for at least one season - he will be contracted until May 31 next year - and will be on a national retainer of about NZ$45,000.