Jacob Bethell, Jofra Archer secure major ECB central contract upgrades as pacer eyes Test return

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday (December 4) made some changes to their central contracts for the men’s team for the next season after England’s dominating eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the ongoing three-match Test series opener in Christchurch.

Two of the major highlights of England Central Contracts were the young batting sensation Jacob Bethell and injury-prone pacer Jofra Archer. Jacob Bethell, who scored a half-century on his Test debut against New Zealand in Christchurch, has been upgraded to a two-year central contract.

Bethell’s stocks rose following his impressive Test debut after his ODI and T20I debuts in 2024 and an IPL deal worth INR 2.6 crore with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

ECB announces changes to central contracts, Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer among big winners

On the other hand, Jofra Archer's Test career received a major boost as his central contract was extended beyond the 2025-26 Ashes, as his central contract was upgraded to two-years by the ECB on Wednesday.

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In October 2024, a total of 29 England players were awarded the Central Contracts, with the new arrangement of two-year, annual, and development contracts. Notably, Ben Foakes, Ollier Robinson, Matthew Fisher, and Saqib Mahmood were not given any contract by the ECB.

Among the eleven players given two-year contracts are England's Test captain Ben Stokes, white-ball captain Jos Buttler, and top Test batter Joe Root. Emerging star Harry Brook, along with Gus Atkinson, Jamie Smith, and Mark Wood, has also earned two-year deals from the ECB.

Jamie Smith was one of five players to receive their maiden England central contract under the new multi-year system, joining Will Jacks, Shoaib Bashir, Phil Salt, and Olly Stone, who were all given one-year contracts. Josh Hull and John Turner have secured development contracts.

Here's England Central Contracts list:

Two-Year Contracts: Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Jacob Bethell, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts.

One-Year Contract: Rehan Ahmed, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Josh Tongue, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes.

Development Contracts: Josh Hull, John Turner.

There is no rushing back for anything for Jofra: Ben Stokes

England captain Ben Stokes is confident Archer is keen to return to Test cricket, despite recent tensions with the ECB over his IPL availability. Apart from Archer and Bethell, England seamers Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts’ contracts have also been extended till September 2026.

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Ben Stokes was quoted as saying about Jofra’s comeback to the Test cricket: “The excitement is understandable around Jofra. The best thing is he is back on the field playing. I am sure he might have thought he might not have the chance to put on an England shirt again, and the injuries and surgeries he has gone through could have ended other people's careers, so there is no rushing back for anything for Jofra.”

The skipper added, “He is being handled very well by the ECB, and that will certainly continue. But Jof is a man of few words, even over WhatsApp. I had one a couple of months ago saying, 'Zimbabwe?'. That shows he is very interested in playing Test cricket for England.”