ECB Announces Men’s Central Contract List For 2025–26

ECB announces men’s central contract list for 2025–26 (Image Source: IANS)

Wales Cricket Board: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has revealed the revised Central Contract list for England men's international cricket. A total of 30 players have received England men's central contracts, which include 14 two-year central contracts, 12 annual central contracts, and four development contracts.

While 14 players have been awarded two-year contracts, 12 players received one-year contracts, and four were handed development contracts. Of these 30, six players, namely Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood, have been awarded England Central Contracts for the first time.

Three players; Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley have agreed England Development Contracts for the first time, joining Josh Hull.

The system, which encompasses both red-ball and white-ball cricket, considers the likelihood of players being selected for England teams across formats over the next period, while also taking into account their performances over the past year.

Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, said, "This year’s central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent we have across England Men’s cricket. We have awarded two-year deals to our multi-format players, so we can manage their workloads responsibly and give them the stability they need to perform across formats.

"We have also secured a number of white-ball players on longer agreements to help us plan effectively around the growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains their priority. This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible."

England Two-Year Central Contracts (September 30, 2027): Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

England One-Year Central Contracts (September 30, 2026):

Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Hampshire)*, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Zak Crawley (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire)*, Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Jamie Overton (Surrey)*, Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham), Luke Wood (Lancashire)*

England Development Contracts

Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Hampshire)*, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Zak Crawley (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire)*, Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Jamie Overton (Surrey)*, Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham), Luke Wood (Lancashire)*

(Denotes newly centrally contracted player for 2025–26)

Article Source: IANS