Harry Brook is one of only three players to earn a three-year deal; Jofra Archer signs two-year contract, which managing director of England men's cricket, Rob Key, hails as "brilliant for English cricket"; Ben Stokes says his one-year deal is "not down to a lessening of desire" to play
Wednesday 25 October 2023 08:50, UK
England Test captain Ben Stokes has said his signing of a one-year central contract is "not down to a lessening of desire" to play international cricket.
England's central contracts for 2023-24 were handed out on Tuesday, with a new structure seeing 18 players awarded multi-year deals and eight accepting a one-year offer - of which Stokes was one, despite being offered three years.
The 32-year-old insisted, however, he is no less committed to playing for his country. "It's not down to a lessening of desire to play for England but simply that the new broadcast deal kicks in 2025-2028 and therefore there has to be a new negotiation between the players reps and the ECB ahead of that and that comes in one year after that comes in.
"Have a good year this year and I'll be a stronger bargaining position next year."
Managing director of England men's cricket, Rob Key, echoed Stokes' sentiments, telling Sky Sports: "By no means does it mean that Ben Stokes doesn't want to play for England. I wouldn't read into it at all."
He added: "He's 100 per cent committed to playing for England... I don't think it has crossed his mind not playing for England for the next four, five, six years."
Harry Brook was one of only three players to sign a three-year deal, along with Joe Root and Mark Wood. Jofra Archer has been given a two-year contract, despite a persistent elbow injury ruling him out for most of 2023, as has England white-ball captain Jos Buttler.
Brook is one of seven players to secure a central contract for the first time. Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue have all been rewarded with two-year deals.
Dawid Malan also earns a central contract after missing out last year, securing a one-year deal, as does 41-year-old James Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker.
There are no new deals for Jason Roy or David Willey, despite having both been given increment contracts last year, while it's the same story for twin brothers Jamie and Craig Overton, as well as Olly Stone, who were on pace bowling development contracts over the past 12 months. There is no deal either for promising Surrey batter Will Jacks, who made his England debut across all three formats in the last year.
Roy ended his incremental contract with the ECB early in order to play in the USA-based Major League Cricket held in July, though he insisted at the time that playing for England "remains my priority".
The central contracts do not prevent recipients taking up lucrative T20 deals, but they do allow the ECB greater oversight on availability.
Matt Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and John Turner have been offered development contracts for 2023-24.
Key added: "We want to make sure we've got our best cricketers staying with English cricket for as long as possible.
"The game is changing out of sight. Since I've started this job, there's new franchise leagues; people are getting paid more for playing franchise cricket than we're paying them.
"We've got people where we'd been wondering, 'are they going to take a franchise deal, a year-round deal with whoever in the IPL?' We know where people stand now."
Reports emerged earlier this year that Archer was being lined up for a year-round deal by his Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians, with a view to controlling his playing schedule and replacing his central contract.
Key, therefore, hailed the new two-year deal agreed with Archer as "brilliant for English cricket".
"He is one of the best bowlers in the world, if not the best - across all formats," Key told Sky Sports.
"He could very easily have turned round and said 'no, I'll go and play in South Africa for the Mumbai franchise, play in the IPL, be paid a lot of money and worry about English cricket as and when'.
"He's not said that. He wants to play for England.
"We're in control as it were with Jofra, albeit that doesn't mean that we're not going to let him do anything else. We've got to get out of the game where, for us to win, franchise cricket has to lose. Or for franchise cricket to win, we have to lose. It's not like that."
Sky Sports' Michael Atherton said...
"Those who have signed three-year deals will now have to get permission from the ECB, with a no objection certificate, that's the whole point of getting players under contract to regain some sense of control.
"The ECB won't have absolute control, they've been relaxed with the IPL but won't let them go play in Major League Cricket or the ILT20 which clashes with the India Test tour. Because Mark Wood has signed a deal with England and Dubai Capitals, he'll be playing for England through that contract.
"The players are the one who hold the bargaining chips, he's got a whole history of injuries so whether it's a good value deal, we don't know, but that's the way they can get Mark Wood under their control is offer him a good deal that he can't turn down and they want Wood for the five Test India tour and the Ashes."
Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Bryson 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 November 1), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).
Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Surrey).
Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), John Turner (Hampshire).
England next face Sri Lanka in a must-win Cricket World Cup match for both sides on Thursday in Bangalore, with coverage live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9am (first ball at 9.30am).
Watch every game of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup live on Sky Sports. You can stream the tournament on NOW.
