NEW DELHI: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Tuesday that Harry Brook, Joe Root, and Mark Wood have been awarded three-year central contracts as part of their new multi-year contracting system.
Ben Stokes, the captain of the England Test team, has received a one-year contract, while Jos Buttler, who leads the white-ball side, has been granted a two-year contract.
"The system, which covers both red-ball and white-ball players, considers the likelihood of players featuring in England teams across formats over the next period while recognising performances in the preceding year," the ECB said in a statement.
"Multi-year contracts have been awarded 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 outcome for all parties."
At the age of 24, Brook is one of seven players who have been awarded central contracts for the first time. The other new central contract recipients include Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts, and Josh Tongue, all of whom have received two-year contracts.
"We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England," said Rob Key, managing director of England men's cricket.
"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."
Dawid Malan, who narrowly missed a full contract last year, has been awarded a one-year contract due to his exceptional form in recent months. Veteran bowler James Anderson has also received a one-year contract.
Furthermore, Matthew Fisher, John Turner, and Saqib Mahmood have been granted development contracts.
It's worth noting that in 2021, England transitioned to a new central contract system, departing from the previous arrangement that separated red-ball and white-ball contracts introduced by the ECB in 2016.
ENGLAND CONTRACTS:
Three-year contracts: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Two-year contracts: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, 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 contracts: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley
Development contracts: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner
(With Reuters inputs)
