Jamie Smith joins senior England squad on two-year contract with ECB
England have signaled their intention to place Jamie Smith at the center of their resurgence across all formats, handing him a lucrative two-year central contract with the ECB that will commit him to their plans for both next year’s Ashes tour of Australia and the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Smith, 24, was one of the breakout stars of England’s home Test summer, scoring a maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, before being named PCA Young Player of the Year at its annual dinner. end of season awards.

Although his opportunities in white-ball cricket have so far been limited by his workload, Smith showed glimpses of his potential in the recent home ODI series against Australia, and although he will miss the Test tour of New Zealand as he continues his paternity. Following his departure, he looks set to be a central figure in England’s plans for their white-ball tour of India in January and the subsequent Champions Trophy.

Fast bowler Gus Atkinson, another impressive addition to England’s plans across all formats, was also handed a two-year contract (a one-year extension to his existing offer), while Joe Root, Harry Brook and Mark Wood were retained in the second of the three-year Agreements they signed in the latest round of contracts for 2023-24.
With Brendon McCullum already secured as England head coach in all formats for the next three years, England have now tied down their red and white ball captains, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, on two-year contracts. As reported last week, Stokes agreed to extend the one-year contract he signed last year, having bet that his value to the team would rise in the meantime.

Buttler’s deal, meanwhile, is a show of faith in England’s white-ball captain despite an absence from professional cricket that has now extended to five months as he recovers from a nagging calf injury. It comes on the same day his long association with Rajasthan Royals ended due to his omission from their list of retained players for the 2025 IPL.

England overhauled its contract system in September 2023 to reflect increasing pressure on international cricket from the T20 franchise circuit, and 18 of those 26 initial offers were multi-year deals. That policy, however, was criticized, particularly in the wake of England’s disastrous 50-over World Cup defense, because it limited the potential to reform an underperforming team. In particular, 19 of this year’s 29 deals are for one year only, including that of Jonny Bairstow, who was dropped from all three formats earlier this year, halfway through his two-year deal, and looks unlikely appear in England’s plans in the coming years. future.

As well as Smith, four other players have signed their first centre-back contracts: Shoaib Bashir, Phil Salt, Olly Stone and Will Jacks, who was the notable omission from England’s plans last time. Three other players have been given development contracts, including two new signings: Jacob Bethell and Josh Hull, and John Turner, the fast bowler who could make his debut for England in the Caribbean this week.

Seven players have been removed from England’s 2024-35 squad, including Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan and James Anderson, who retired from international cricket, and fast bowlers Matthew Fisher and Saqib Mahmood, who had been on development contracts after to perform your test. debuts in the Caribbean in 2022.

The most notable absentees, however, are Ollie Robinson and Ben Foakes, the trial goalkeeper who made way for his Surrey team-mate Smith in the summer. Both men last toured India in February, and their hopes of a retreat from the current regime appear to be over.

“The strength and depth of talent in England men’s red and white ball cricket is clear in the quality of centrally contracted players,” said Rob Key, England men’s general manager. “These contracts reward players who we believe will play an important role for our England men’s teams. Our two captains, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, have signed two-year central contracts which show the commitment of all players to prioritizing playing for your country.

“I want to congratulate all the players who have signed new central contracts ahead of what will be an exciting period for England men’s cricket.”

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