Cricket Australia has announced its central contracts for the 2025-26 season, encompassing a total of 23 players. This includes star players such as Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc.
Sports News: The announcement by Cricket Australia details 23 players receiving central contracts for the 2025-26 season. The list features prominent players considered pillars of Australian cricket, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc. Significantly, spinner Matthew Kuhnemann, young opening batsman Sam Conners, and all-rounder Beau Webster have received central contracts for the first time, a major achievement for their careers.
3 New Players Awarded Contracts
Matthew Kuhnemann's recent months have been a mixed bag. He performed brilliantly in the Warne-Muralidharan Trophy, taking 16 wickets, but subsequently faced scrutiny regarding his bowling action. However, he received a clean chit from the ICC following a test in Brisbane, securing his place back in the team. Sam Conners and Beau Webster both debuted in Test cricket during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Both players played crucial roles in Australia's victory, notably securing the trophy for Australia, their first win against India since 2004. This outstanding performance earned them places in the central contracts.
Players Omitted
However, some notable players have been omitted this year. These include Cooper Connolly, Sean Abbott, Aaron Hardie, and Todd Murphy. Abbott and Hardie, selected for the Champions Trophy 2025, did not play a single match, while Murphy played one Test match during the Sri Lanka tour. Based on their performances, they have been excluded from this year's central contract list.
Australia faces several crucial series and tournaments in the 2025-26 season, including a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series against South Africa in August, followed by India's tour of Australia. Furthermore, Australia will participate in the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year.
Australian Players Awarded Central Contracts
Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Conners, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Beau Webster, and Adam Zampa.
