Cricket Dec 07, 2025

Jacob Bethell rewarded with two-year England central contract as Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach miss out

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Jacob Bethell rewarded with two-year England central contract as Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach miss out

Jacob Bethell has been rewarded with a two-year central contract with England.

The 22-year-old, who was previously on a development deal, is among 30 players given central contracts after his impressive breakthrough at international level, including becoming England men's youngest captain for the T20 series against Ireland in September.

Rob Key, the managing director of England men's cricket, said: "This year's central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent we have across England men's cricket."

Fast bowler Jofra Archer has also had his deal extended from a one-year contract to a two-year contract following his return to action from long-term injuries, but Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach missed out.

Bethell made his senior England debut in a T20 match against Australia in September 2024 and was subsequently named in the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, where he made a quick-fire half-century.

Prior to captaining England to two wins over Ireland, the Warwickshire star scored his maiden professional century in a one-day international against South Africa.

Bethell is one of 14 men given two-year contracts, with all those being players who represent England in more than one format.

Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, who only play in Tests, are among those on one-year contracts, with Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood the newly-contracted players in this category.

Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley are the four players on development contracts.

Key added: "We have awarded two-year deals to our multi-format players so we can manage their workloads responsibly and give them the stability they need to perform across formats.

"We have also secured a number of white-ball players on longer agreements to help us plan effectively around the growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains their priority.

"This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible."

England Two-Year Central Contracts (30 September 2027)
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)

England One-Year Central Contracts (30 September 2026)
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
Sonny Baker (Hampshire)*
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Liam Dawson (Hampshire)*
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)*
Jamie Overton (Surrey)*
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Luke Wood (Lancashire)*
Mark Wood (Durham)

*Denotes newly centrally contracted player for 2025

England Development Contracts
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Eddie Jack (Hampshire)
Tom Lawes (Surrey)
Mitchell Stanley (Lancashire)

Tags:

cricket news id:13463670

Share this article

Related Posts

Five wickets in five balls for New Zealander Brett Randell as he makes first-class cricket history

Five wickets in five balls for New Zealander Brett Randell as he makes first-class cricket history

New Zealander Brett Randell became the first player to take five wickets in five balls in first-class cricket during a remarkable bowling burst in a d...

T20 World Cup: India bowler Arshdeep Singh sanctioned by ICC after throwing ball at New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell

T20 World Cup: India bowler Arshdeep Singh sanctioned by ICC after throwing ball at New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell

India bowler Arshdeep Singh has been fined by the ICC after throwing a ball at New Zealand batsman Daryl Mitchell in Sunday's T20 World Cup final.Arsh...

Australia captain Alyssa Healy bids farewell to international cricket with 10-wicket win over India

Australia captain Alyssa Healy bids farewell to international cricket with 10-wicket win over India

Alyssa Healy, Australia's captain, has led her nation for the last time as she retires from international cricket after a crushing 10-wicket win over...

Indian Premier League fixtures 2026: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru play in first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Indian Premier League fixtures 2026: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru play in first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad

The opening two weeks of the Indian Premier League (IPL) schedule have been announced, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taki...

2026 T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament: India have four players picked from winning squad, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid represent England

2026 T20 World Cup Team of the Tournament: India have four players picked from winning squad, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid represent England

The 2026 T20 World Cup concluded with a thumping 96-run win for tournament hosts India over New Zealand, but which players have made the ICC's Team of...

IPL squads 2026: Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone among England players signed

IPL squads 2026: Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone among England players signed

Here's how the Indian Premier League squads look for the 2026 season, with Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer among the 13 English players involved.Watch al...