In an effort to prevent franchise clubs from snatching
up England’s top cricketers, the ECB has made historically long-term contract
offers.
The contracts, which replace the previous central
contract system, which only included one-year contracts, are being offered at a
time when IPL ownership has expanded to other T20 tournaments around the world,
allowing teams to hire players exclusively for their needs throughout the year.
26 contracts, up from the 18 full and six incremental
contracts distributed in October of last year, it is known, have been offered.
Twenty of the 26 are multi-year contracts, with elite players including Ben
Stokes, Harry Brook, and Mark Wood receiving three-year contracts.
According to reports, Jonny Bairstow received one of
the many two-year contracts that were offered. For those who do not compete on
the franchise circuit, like Jack Leach, and for those who are nearing the end
of their careers, like James Anderson, who just turned 41, single-year
contracts are on the table.
The protection of assets is perhaps most obvious in
relation to quick bowlers. Young quicks who made their international debuts
this summer like Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson are anticipated to secure multi-year
contracts. Similar to how Jofra Archer, 28, might be in line for a three-year
contract, the Mumbai Indians are allegedly very interested in hiring him on a
full-time basis. Prior to his injury-shortened IPL season with Mumbai, Archer
participated in the SA20 for MI Cape Town at the start of the year.
The decision to accept the contracts will now be made
by the England players. Although the fundamental compensation has been agreed
upon, those who have been given many years may choose to only sign 12-month
contracts in order to have more flexibility.
The ECB contributed an additional £3.4 million to the
pot, and this allowed for the quantity and amount of the individual contracts.
Performance rating points were used to divide the pot among the 26 participants.
The method assigns points for each of the three formats, ranging from
“recognition of extraordinary performance” throughout the previous
12-month cycle to whether a player is likely to be included in the Test and
white-ball squads. Each year, these will be reevaluated.
Finer elements, such as insurance pay for injury and
other such terms, still need to be worked out.