England Test skipper Ben Stokes has signed a two-year central contract, signalling his 2027 Ashes readiness. A total of 30 players have been awarded the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) 

central contracts, with Jacob Bethell being given a two-year contract. Pace ace Jofra Archer has also signed an extended two-year contract. 

Players like Will Jacks, Phil Salt, and Shoaib Bashir have got one-year deals. All-rounder Jamie Overton, who has taken a break from red-ball cricket, has been handed a one-year deal for his first central contract. Notably, veteran stars Jack Leach and Jonny Bairstow miss out. 

"This year’s central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent we have across England Men’s cricket. We have awarded two-year deals to our multi-format players, so we can manage their workloads responsibly and give them the stability they need to perform across formats," Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said in a statement.

"We have also secured a number of white-ball players on longer agreements to help us plan effectively around the growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains their priority. This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible,” he added.

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)