New Zealand batter Mark Chapman earns his first central contract following Martin Guptill's departure

Auckland Aces batter Mark Chapman earned a promotion on the back of some decent white-ball performances in the last two years. Chapman has been officially handed a central contract by New Zealand cricket as he takes the vacant spot following the departure of veteran batter Martin Guptill.

Since making his debut in 2018, the Hong Kong-born player has represented the Kiwis in 27 white-ball matches which includes 22 T20Is and 5 ODIs. New Zealand head coach Gary Stead was delighted to have secured the services of the batter in the national team and welcomed the move.

"We’re delighted to have Mark join the central contract list after being there or thereabouts for a while. He’s a fine player and we like the versatility and innovation he brings to his batting. He’s a guy with a lot of talent and we see him being a big part of future Black Caps squads,” told Gary Stead as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Earlier, veteran opener Guptill opted out of his central contact to pursue playing opportunities in domestic competitions around the world. Guptill’s decision thereby opened the doors for Chapman to make his mark with the national side.

Mark Chapman included forthcoming India tour

Team India is set to host New Zealand in a three-match ODI series followed by the same number of T20I matches scheduled to commence on January 18. Chapman, who was part of New Zealand's squad at the two recent ICC T20 World Cup campaigns, has been named in the ODI squad ahead of the India tour.

His last 50-over match came against Scotland in July in the one-off ODI match in their tour to the European nation in Edinburgh. Interestingly, in the contest, the flamboyant batter played a blistering knock of an unbeaten 101 runs from 75 balls which included seven sixes and six boundaries. Chapman will be gearing up for the series against the Men in Blue as he will be on the lookout to create an impression that would last long with the national side.