Ben Stokes signs year-long England deal and turns down multi-year contract

Ben Stokes has turned down the chance to sign one of the England & Wales Cricket Board’s inaugural multi-year central contracts, opting to commit for just a single year while he considers where to best position himself in the sport’s rapidly-shifting landscape.

In all three players have agreed three-year deals and a further 15 have signed two-year contracts, offered for the first time this year as the ECB seeks to ward off the rival appeal of white-ball franchises. A further eight players, who with the exception of Stokes can largely be categorised as older, injury-prone or peripheral, have signed one-year deals. Sussex’s Ollie Robinson, at 29 a Test regular when fit with an average of 22.21, is among them.

Stokes is struggling with a long-term knee injury, but as well as being Test captain was a member of the team that won the T20 World Cup last year and is currently in India competing for the 50-over version, making him a key asset for England across all formats. He has recently spoken about his desire to lead his country beyond the next Ashes, to be played in Australia in 2025-26. “Now that I’m 32, I’m very realistic that things will come to an end at some point,” he said last month. “But I have my eyes set on something I want to be a part of for the next three to four years.”

But earlier this year Stokes said he would understand if players reaching the end of their prime playing days chose to turn down central contracts altogether. “Everyone’s at a different point in their life, not just in their career, where other things have to be thought about by the individual,” he said. “If a person makes a decision because they think it’s not only best for themselves but also the future and security of their family then it’s very hard to disagree with that.”

One factor in Stokes’s decision is understood to be the new Memorandum of Understanding which is due to be negotiated between the ECB and the players next year, and which may significantly change the amounts on offer.

Every player who appeared in this summer’s Ashes, except the retired Stuart Broad, has signed a contract, as well as every member of the squad currently at the World Cup with the solitary exception of David Willey.

Harry Brook, Joe Root and Mark Wood, who are all currently in India, have signed three-year deals. Brook is one of seven players to receive their first central contracts, with the others – Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue – all among those accepting two-year offers. Yorkshire’s Matthew Fisher, Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood and Hampshire’s John Turner have all signed development contracts.

Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, said: “We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England. 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. I would like to congratulate all the players who have been offered contracts. They will play a pivotal role in England’s efforts over the next few years.”