The England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its central contract list for players for the 2025-26 season. A total of 30 players have been included in the contracts this time.
Sports News: The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced its central contracts (England Central Contracts 2025-26) for the upcoming 2025-26 season on Tuesday. A total of 30 players have been included in the central contracts this time. Of these, 14 players have been awarded two-year contracts, 12 players one-year contracts, and four players development contracts.
Several new faces have been given an opportunity in this year's contract list. Players receiving a central contract for England for the first time are — Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, and Luke Wood.
Rob Key says - 'This Contract Group Shows the Depth and Strength of English Cricket'
Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, stated that this year's central contract reflects the depth and strength of talent in English cricket. He said, "We have given multi-format players two-year contracts to manage their workload effectively and provide them with stability to perform across all three formats."
Many white-ball players have also been given longer contracts to allow them to strike a better balance between franchise cricket and international cricket, ensuring that playing for England remains their priority. Rob Key further added that this policy will benefit English cricket in the coming years, and the team will remain competitive across all three formats: Test, ODI, and T20.
Players Included in England Cricket Board Central Contracts
Players Included in Two-Year Central Contracts: (September 30, 2027): 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).
Players Included in One-Year Central Contracts (September 30, 2026): 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), Mark Wood (Durham), Luke Wood (Lancashire).
Players Included in Development Contracts: Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Tom Lodge (Surrey), Mitchell Stanley (Lancashire).
