New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has released a list of 20 contracted players for the coming season, the New Zealand Herald reported. There were no major surprises. Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns and Shane Bond are in the top tier of three players who will receive annual retainers of $120,000. NZC does not make its contract public.

Stephen Fleming, the captain, Daniel Vettori and Craig McMillan are understood to be on the next tier, earning $100,000 as retainers. Fleming also enjoys a captain's allowance.

Match fees for all players, fixed during the pay dispute, will be $6000 per Test and $2500 per one-day international, irrespective of the result of the match.

Martin Snedden, the NZC chief executive, said the Australian model had been used to choose players to be offered contracts - with emphasis on performance during the past year from June 1.

Paul Hitchcock, a medium-pace bowler from Wellington who had a good debut ODI tour of West Indies, was included. Chris Nevin, Matthew Horne and Chris Martin received contracts.

The list excluded James Franklin (left-arm medium-pace bowler), Brooke Walker (legspinner), Glen Sulzberger (offspinner) and Brendon McCullum (wicketkeeper - batsman) among those who have played for New Zealand. But Sulzberger and McCullum found a place among New Zealand's World Cup training squad.

India's forthcoming tour in December was until recently under a cloud, following a prolonged pay-dispute crisis between New Zealand's first-class and the NZC. The dispute has since been amicably settled.

Contracted players list
Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Robbie Hart, Paul Hitchcock, Matthew Horne, Chris Martin, Craig McMillan, Chris Nevin, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Mathew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd