Overview
- The ECB named 30 centrally contracted men’s players for 2025–26 across two-year, one-year and development categories.
- Jacob Bethell moved up from a development deal to a two-year contract after a rapid rise that included England T20 captaincy against Ireland and an ODI century versus South Africa.
- Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer feature among 14 players on two-year agreements running to September 2027.
- One-year contracts went to Test specialists Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, with first-time central deals for Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Luke Wood and Sonny Baker.
- Development contracts were awarded to Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley, while Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach and Liam Livingstone dropped off the list after recent changes in selection and status.