Bond awarded New Zealand contract

Fast bowler Shane Bond has been officially welcomed back to New Zealand Cricket (NZC) after being offered a playing contract for the next international season.

The 34-year-old paceman had been banned from national selection after he joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) last year.

He was permitted to rejoin the national team after severing ties with the ICL, and NZC wasted little time calling him back, naming him on an elite list of 20 players awarded contracts for the 2009-10 season.

"Shane Bond is confident he can continue to contribute to the blackcaps," head selector Glenn Turner said in a statement.

"He has performed well in the shorter form of the game at domestic level while his international track record is outstanding."

The selectors also included six new players on their list, fast bowlers Brent Arnel and Ian Butler, one-day specialists Grant Elliott and Neil Broom and top order batsmen Martin Guptill and Tim McIntosh.

The seven players who did not have their contracts renewed from last season were Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Jamie How, James Marshall, Michael Mason, Aaron Redmond and Scott Styris.

"Some experienced players have missed out as a result of new players forcing their way into the top 20 and that's a good sign for the game," Turner said.

"Players who have missed out on contracts have the opportunity to play their way into the blackcaps in the domestic season, or through the A team and Emerging Players tours, and most can expect to pick up leading contracts with Major Associations."

List of contracted players: Brent Arnel, Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Grant Elliott, James Franklin, Daniel Flynn, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon McCullum, Tim McIntosh, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori.