EXCLUSIVE: ECB could end up paying millions to players – even if they are injured – under terms of new central contracts after they guaranteed to honour them in full
- England handed out 29 multi-year central contracts to various players last month
- The announcement was postponed after discussions about the finer details of the deals
- The ECB has guaranteed to fully honor contracts even if stars are injured
The ECB is facing the prospect of handing out millions of pounds to players who cannot play under the terms of the new central contract system.
Mailsport has learned that a guarantee to honor the full term of the new multi-year deals, regardless of whether players are fit to play in the relevant period, has delayed the announcement of the 29 contracts until four games in a disastrous World Cup defense.
It’s an issue that seems particularly relevant for fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, both of whom have long histories of injuries.
Wood, who turns 34 in January, has signed a three-year deal, while Archer, without a Test appearance since facing India in February 2021 and with just seven caps in total since that tour, was given a two-year deal.
As multi-format cricketers, the two are at the top end of a contract pay scale ranging from £150,000 to £900,000 a year.
The ECB could end up handing out millions of pounds to players who cannot play under the terms of the new central contract system, after guaranteeing full honors.
Injury-prone fast bowler Mark Wood was signed to a three-year contract and will be paid for that period regardless of his future involvement in England
The ECB’s decision to pay players in full regardless of their future participation, following negotiations with the Team England Player Partnership, represents a huge investment in an England team that has won 13 of 18 Tests under Ben Stokes’ captaincy and fourteen had achieved double the score days ago. world champions in limited-overs cricket.
Such dedication shows loyalty to the group of players who propelled them to those heights and, in theory, gives England director Rob Key and coaches Brendon McCullum and Matthew Mott influence over the workload of individuals, particularly that of their match-changing bowlers.
Wood was influential in England when he came from 2-0 down to share last summer’s Ashes series, while Archer was a crucial figure in the 2019 World Cup win and in that year’s 2-2 Test against Australia .
However, there also appears to have been some panic over the awarding of contracts for 2023-2024, caused by the global growth of franchise cricket.
Since their inception at the turn of the millennium, the central contracts had only covered a period of twelve months, but in this latest round, from October 1, 18 players are covered for at least twice as long. With a new Memorandum of Understanding to be negotiated ahead of a long-term temporary employment contract that runs in early 2025, the value of salaries for subsequent years has yet to be determined.
Key recently admitted that Wood’s situation – he was offered a lucrative ILT20 opportunity with Dubai Capitals that clashed directly with England’s five-Test tour of India early next year – prompted a rethink of the ECB’s contract strategy. They essentially had to take incentives to levels not previously considered to ensure the availability of A-list players for critical moments in the calendar.
English director Rob Key is struggling with the growth of franchise cricket worldwide
Meanwhile, Dawid Malan’s future remains up in the air and he could reverse his decision to sign a white-ball-only contract with Yorkshire, which was made to extend his international career.
But it will not stop players from taking part in the world’s leading Twenty20 tournaments, such as the Indian Premier League, sometimes at the expense of international commitments.
Meanwhile, Dawid Malan’s future remains up in the air after he was completely overlooked during England’s eight-match tour of the Caribbean, which starts in Antigua on Sunday.
After confirming he would be the recipient of a 12-month ECB deal, 36-year-old Malan Yorkshire said he wanted to be relegated to white-ball alone for the final two years of his county contract in a bid to extend his international career.
However, following his poor tour of the West Indies and the likelihood that he will miss the Twenty20 World Cup squad next summer, it is believed he would be open to entering into a pay-as-you-play deal for first-class cricket.