England players sign multi-year contracts with ECB

Several England cricketers have signed multi-year central contracts with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the first time. The contract signing comes amid the rise of the popularity of franchise cricket all over the world.

A total of 18 players have signed multi-year deals with the Board, while eight players have signed the annual contract. Moreover, three players will be given England Development contracts by the ECB.

“The ECB has worked closely with the Professional Cricketers’ Association and Team England Player Partnership on behalf of the players to reach an outcome for all parties,” the ECB said in a statement.

Pacer Mark Wood, rising batting sensation Harry Brook, and Joe Root have signed three-year central contracts. Harry Brook, who has been offered an ECB central contract for the first time, is among the 15 players who have signed two-year contracts, which also include Jofra Archer, limited-overs captain Jos Buttler, wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, and star pacer Gus Atkinson.

Strangely, Ben Stokes, England’s current Test captain, only agreed to a 12-month contract with the board. Apart from the star all-rounder, there are a total of eight players who have agreed to the yearly contract. The one-year contract also includes the likes of all-arounder Moeen Ali and veteran James Anderson. After missing out on the contract in the previous year, Dawid Malan has been granted a yearly contract this year.

David Willey, who is part of the squad for the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup, has not been included. Notably, three players, Saqib Mahmood, uncapped John Turner, and Matthew Fisher have been awarded development contracts.

England player with central contracts

Three-year central contracts: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood

Two-year central contracts: Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes

One-year central contracts: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley

England Development contracts: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner