ECB announces updated central contract list: Stokes, Root, Archer among 14 players with two-year deals

London [UK], November 4 (ANI): The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the updated Central Contract list for England Men's international cricket. A total of 30 players have been awarded England Men's Central Contracts - comprising 14 England Two-Year Central Contracts, 12 England Annual Central Contracts, and four England Development Contracts, as per the ECB website.
Ben Stokes has signed a fresh two-year England contract, providing the most unambiguous indication yet that he intends to play in the 2027 Ashes series on home soil. Five players - Sonny Baker, 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.
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 men's central contracts:
Two-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2027) Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Josh Tongue.
One-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2026) Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Luke Wood, Mark Wood.
Development contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, Mitchell Stanley.
Lapsed contracts: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, John Turner. (ANI)