Player News

Jofra Archer & Ollie Robinson receive England central contracts

8 Oct 2021

Sussex's Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson have been awarded England central contracts for the next twelve months.

The pair are part of a group of 20 players to have been awarded full contracts. The contract list no longer separates red- and white-ball contracts, with all those contracted part of a single overall list.

The contracts were decided by a panel made up of Managing Director of Men's England Cricket, Ashley Giles and Head Coach, Chris Silverwood.

The ECB's announcement explained the new system and how contracts were decided: "The new system has been developed working in consultation with the players, Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) and the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA). It is designed to meet England's future needs in what has become a fluid and dynamic landscape.

"The system considers the likelihood of players featuring in England teams across formats in the next 12 months, whilst also recognising performances in the preceding year."

In addition to the main list, four players have been awarded England Increment Contracts and three others with England Pace Bowling Development Contracts. These recognise "players that may feature for England on a less predictable basis and supports developing and managing high potential pace bowlers across all formats."

Managing Director of Men's England Cricket, Ashley Giles, said: "I would like to thank TEPP and the players for all their constructive input through the process of developing this new system, which I believe is the fairest and most transparent way of rewarding players across all formats.

"We have worked well to get to this stage and the refinements made will take into account the amount of cricket we will be playing across formats over the next period of the ICC Future Tours Programme.

"Since the inception of central contracts in 2002, the system has facilitated improved preparation, performance and professionalism of the England team and has ensured that players are well rewarded for representing their country at the elite level.

"The international game continues to evolve, and we have to be mindful that we have to lead the way in player performance across cricket's ever-changing landscape. Our objective remains the same to develop world-class players in all three formats as we strive to become the most respected team in the world.

"I would like to congratulate all the players offered agreements for the coming year, particularly newcomers Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, and Ollie Robinson. Receiving your first central contract is a great moment in any player's career. They will all play a pivotal role in England's fortunes over the next 12 months."