5 hours ago
7
Captain Ben Stokes has extended his England central contract through to the end of the next home Ashes series in 2027.
Stokes, whose previous deal was due to expire at the end of next summer, is one of 14 players to sign on for two years.
They include pace bowler Jofra Archer, who has signed an extended contract following his return to Test cricket.
England said the contracts reward performances in the past year, while also looking ahead to the upcoming schedule. The home Ashes in 2027 is followed by a 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
All of the 16 players in the squad for the upcoming Ashes in Australia have been handed a contract of at least one year.
Eleven of the Ashes squad - including Stokes, Archer, Joe Root and Harry Brook - have signed two-year deals.
Four of the five with one-year contracts - batters Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts - are not multi-format players, while 35-year-old pace bowler Mark Wood is entering the final part of a three-year contract he signed in 2023.
The extension of Stokes' contract is particularly eye-catching.
The 34-year-old all-rounder has a chequered injury record and is currently recovering from a shoulder problem.
However, he is on track to be fit for the first Ashes Test in Perth on 21 November, which would be his first action since July.
In signing a longer deal, it indicates the potential for him to lead England into the 2027 Ashes and also aligns his future with head coach Brendon McCullum, who is contracted to England until the end of the World Cup that year.
All-rounder Jamie Overton, who has taken a break from red-ball cricket, is given a one-year deal for his first central contract.
Also signing one-year deals for the first time are pace bowlers Sonny Baker, Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood, along with all-rounder Liam Dawson.
Chris Woakes, who retired from international cricket last month, drops off the list.
Jonny Bairstow's two-year central contract has finally come to an end, while spinner Jack Leach also misses out after falling out of favour.
All-rounder Liam Livingstone has not played for England since the Champions Trophy in March and loses his deal.
Young fast bowlers Josh Hull, Mitchell Stanley, Eddie Jack and Tom Lawes have all been given development deals.
England two-year central contracts
Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
England one-year central contracts
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Zak Crawley (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Luke Wood (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham)
England development contracts
Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Mitchell Stanley (Lancashire)
