The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the Central Contract offers for England Men's cricketers for the year starting from 1st October 2023.
The system, which covers both red-ball and white-ball players, takes into account the likelihood of players featuring in England teams across formats over the upcoming period, while also acknowledging their performances in the previous year.
Multi-year contracts have been granted for the first time since central contracts were established in 2000. The ECB has worked closely with the Professional Cricketers’ Association and Team England Player Partnership on behalf of the players to reach an agreement that benefits all parties.
In total, 29 players have received Central Contract offers, comprising 18 England Multi-Year Central Contracts, eight England Annual Central Contracts, and three England Development Contracts.
England Three-Year Central Contracts:
Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham)
England Two-Year Central Contracts:
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire – from 1st November), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
England One-Year Central Contracts:
Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey)
England Development Contracts:
Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), John Turner (Hampshire)
Seven players (Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts, and Josh Tongue) receive an England Central Contract offer for the first time. Yorkshire batter Dawid Malan also returns to an annual contract after missing out last year.
Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, and John Turner are offered Development Contracts to support the development of high-potential talent.
Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said: "We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England.
"It is great news and a credit to the players for demonstrating their commitment to English cricket in the ever-changing landscape of the sport.
"I would like to congratulate all the players who have been offered contracts. They will play a pivotal role in England's efforts over the next few years.”
