Given that the England and Wales Cricket Board, for the first time, offered multi-year contracts, many expected star cricketer Ben Stokes to commit beyond a single-year contract, just like his teammates. While Joe Root, Harry Brook, and Mark Wood secured three-year contracts, Ollie Pope and Jofra Archer signed on for two years, Stokes did raise many eyebrows by opting for a one-year contract in October 2023.
The ECB would want to wrap up the central contracts ahead of England’s tour of Pakistan in October, where they play a three-Test series. They are confident Stokes will be fit to lead the side after recovering from the bad hamstring injury he sustained while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024.
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The Guardian reports that he is now likely to commit to a new two-year central contract in a good sign for English cricket. The deal will extend his stay in the national setup to 2025/26 with the inclusion of the much-anticipated tour to Australia. It is this willingness to commit for a more extended period, one that comes as a welcome relief, not least after Brendon McCullum extended his own contract with the ECB to entrench himself in the white-ball setup as head coach until 2027.
England Test captain Ben Stokes set to sign a two-year contract with ECB 🖋️
More details on the contract ⤵️https://t.co/f12E3wVHi1
— Cricket.com (@weRcricket) September 14, 2024
Brendon McCullum will take over the white-ball team from interim coach Marcus Trescothick ahead of the England tour to India. He would be in charge of the England teams for big events such as two series of the Ashes, the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the ODI World Cup in 2027.
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It also feels buoyed by Ben Stokes’ expressed desire to continue having a tight professional relationship with McCullum, with the pair having overseen 19 Test victories from 29 matches since their partnership-a far cry from the team’s dismal run of just one victory in 17 games prior to their appointment.
Contract extensions for vice-captains of the Test side could well be in the pipeline, further consolidating this area of England’s long-term planning under this revitalized leadership partnership.
