Ben Stokes signs 1-year deal, only 3 England stars sign a 3-year deal in ECB's central contracts

ECB has released the list of contracted England cricketers.

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the central contracts for the men’s cricket team for 2023-24. Three players have signed a three-year contract with ECB, but test captain Ben Stokes opted not to do so and signed only a one-year deal.

For the first time since central contracts were formed in 2000, multi-year contracts have been given.

On behalf of the players, ECB has worked extensively with the Professional Cricketers' Association and Team England Player Partnership to negotiate an agreement that benefits all parties. It is understood that the contracts at the lowest end will be worth around £180,000 while players such as Stokes will easily break the £1 million mark each year with match fees added.

Ben Stokes signs a one-year deal; ECB hand 3-year deals to Mark Wood, Joe Root and Harry Brook

Mark Wood has committed to England team after signing the first three-year contract with England. ECB have secured on the services of Wood plus the best 28 other players in the country with 18 signing central contracts for two or three years for the first time.

The two other players to sign three-year deals are Joe Root and Harry Brook.

Test captain Ben Stokes, on the other hand, has chosen to remain with a one-year contract worth close to £1 million before he and ECB reassess his status in terms of fitness and personal decision next year. Stokes’ is one of the biggest stars in world cricket means that he is not in need of the same financial security.

Some other players were offered three-year deals, but like Stokes, chose to accept a reduced period with two-year deals for the likes of Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, and Jonny Bairstow.

There are first-time deals for young leg-spinning all-rounders Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts, and Josh Tongue. Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, and John Turner are offered Development Contracts to support the development of high-potential talent. 

David Willey, a member of the ongoing 2023 World Cup England squad is suspiciously missing from the list of contracted players. This indicates that Willey might have gone onto the franchise T20 cricket route. The rise of Major League Cricket and any new Saudi Arabia cricket league might see more England players committing to quick money.

England Three-Year Central Contracts: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood

England Two-Year Central Contracts: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue (from 1 November), Chris Woakes

England One-Year Central Contracts: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley