The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has shared the revised list of Central Contracts for England Men's International Cricket for the 2025-26 season. A total of 30 players will be provided contracts, 14 two-year central contracts, 12 annual central contracts, and four development contracts. The new contracts will support greater stability for players while also recognizing their performance levels and managing players across formats.

Among the list, Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, and Luke Wood have received England Central Contracts for the first time. Meanwhile, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, and Mitchell Stanley have signed England Development Contracts for the first time, joining Josh Hull, who continues in the same category.

The ECB stated that the Central Contract system covers both red-ball and white-ball cricket, factoring in each player’s likelihood of featuring for England across formats in the coming period, while also recognizing consistent performances over the past year.

Rob Key on the Updated Contract Structure

“This year’s central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent we have across England Men’s cricket. 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,” said Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, as quoted by the ECB.

He further added, “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.”

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England Two-Year Central Contracts (30 September 2027)

Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Josh Tongue

England One-Year Central Contracts (30 September 2026)

Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker*, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson*, Saqib Mahmood*, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Mark Wood, Luke Wood

England Development Contracts

Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, Mitchell Stanley

On 13 September, former England and Warwickshire cricketer John Jameson passed away at the age of 84. The England and Wales Cricket Board, among others, is deeply mourning his departure. In spite of limited opportunities, Jameson etched a notable name for himself in the First Class matches.

The wicketkeeper-batter scored 18,941 runs in 361 First Class matches (611 innings), including 33 hundreds and 90 fifties. In List A cricket, he also made his mark and reached 4,492 runs in 173 matches. Jameson was a good keeper and took 316 catches in FC and List A matches, respectively, in addition to bowling medium pace on occasion.

At Warwickshire, Jameson was an integral member of the team and was important to the team that won the Championship in 1972. One of the highlights was in 1974 when he added 465 runs with Rohan Kanhai for the second-wicket partnership against Gloucestershire, which is still a record to this day.

Memorable Feats and Life After Retirement

“It was one of those days when everything went right. We just kept going and neither of us even gave a chance. We had to declare after 100 overs and it’s probably just as well,” Jameson had recalled in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

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On the international stage, Jameson played four Tests for England, with his best effort being a 152-ball 82 against India at The Oval. Unfortunately, he also became the first English batter to be run out twice in the same match. Post-retirement, he remained deeply connected to cricket, serving as head coach at Taunton School, umpiring from 1984–1987, coaching Sussex in 1988, and later working as MCC’s assistant secretary. For his immense contribution to the game, he was awarded an MBE in 2010.

A well-known figure in English cricket has been investigated by the police for allegations of drink spiking on two women and sexually assaulting one of them in London a few months earlier. The Daily Telegraph has reported that the figure, aged 40, was questioned under caution by Scotland Yard in June after a complaint was made in South-west London.

In the SW6 area of the city, which covers Fulham and Parsons Green. The England Cricket Board (ECB) has declined to comment on the allegations. The name has not been disclosed yet, which keeps it under speculation whether the speculation is about any player or associated with the coaching management.

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“We are currently investigating allegations of spiking and sexual assault against two women that took place on Thursday, 22 May, at a pub in the SW6 area. Two women are believed to have been spiked, with one also allegedly sexually assaulted. Enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage.” The Metropolitan Police addressed ESPNcricinfo in a statement.

Renowned England figure under investigation for sexual harassment

Chris Haward, the managing director of the Cricket regulator, which is the independent body responsible for handling the disciplinary cases with England’s cricket, last month said that removing sexual misconduct from the game would be a priority. The regulator has twice charged the individuals following the sexual misconduct last year.

Due to the incident, a coach was suspended for nine months in August after being dismissed by the county for the side for the ‘inappropriate and sexualized’ pictures of junior female members of staff. Last November in 2024, another coach of the England cricket team was also suspended for six months for sexual and bad behavior on a county pre-season tour.

England are currently busy in the ongoing three-match T20I series at home against South Africa before they start their preparation for the upcoming away Ashes 2025/26 trip against Australia down under. They recently lost the ODI series against the Proteas by 2-1 and drew the five-match Test series against India at home by a 2-2 margin.

English domestic white-ball cricket is in for its biggest shake-up in years, with sweeping changes coming to the men’s and women’s Vitality Blast and the Women’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup from 2026. The reforms, backed by a two-thirds majority of the 18 first-class counties and shaped with input from the Professional Cricketers’ Association, aim to improve player welfare, reduce travel demands, and sharpen the competitive edge of county cricket.

While the white-ball roadmap is now clear, the men’s County Championship remains under review, with counties yet to agree on the best way forward. A decision is expected before the competition resumes in September.

Men’s Vitality Blast Gets Shorter, Sharper

From 2026, the men’s Vitality Blast group stage will shrink from 14 to 12 matches per team. The competition will revert to the three regional groups of six used in the COVID-hit 2020 season, with each county playing 10 matches against group rivals and two additional fixtures against one side from another group.

The aim is to concentrate the schedule into a block format and complete the tournament by July, before The Hundred begins. Organisers believe the move will make local derbies more intense, improve crowd appeal, and give players more breathing room in a packed summer.

New Men’s Blast Format (From 2026):

County Championship Future Still Unsettled

The red-ball competition remains a sticking point, with three formats under discussion:

Talks will resume later this summer, with promotion/relegation tweaks also on the table.

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Women’s Competitions Get a Boost

The women’s game is also undergoing a structural upgrade, particularly at the top level. Tier 1 of the Women’s Vitality Blast will expand from eight to nine teams with Yorkshire’s addition, while Tier 2 will move to a single national group to create more balanced competition. The Tier 1 schedule will be trimmed to 12 matches, but the top four will now contest two semi-finals before the final, rather than just one semi-final.

Women’s Vitality Blast Changes (From 2026):

The Women’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup will also see tweaks. Tier 1 will move to a 16-match season, with an eliminator replacing the second semi-final, while Tier 2 will be shortened to 8 matches, with each side facing each other once.

ECB Welcomes Changes

ECB chief executive Richard Gould praised the counties for taking ownership of the reform process. “It’s important we keep evolving domestic cricket to make it the best it can be for players, fans, and the game’s future,” he said.

Beth Barrett-Wild, the ECB’s director of the women’s professional game, said the changes were made with player input and will be reviewed before the 2027 season, when Glamorgan is due to join Tier 1.

Professional Game Committee chair Mark McCafferty described the Blast changes as “a springboard to further investment” that would improve derby intensity and ease pressure on players in a congested summer calendar.

The two-tier Test cricket controversy has been running for more than a decade, and it has intensified with the growing presence of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). While the BCCI, ECB, and CA, the governing cricket bodies of India, England, and Australia, respectively, are the top international cricket boards, their views play very important roles in the future of the game. While the BCCI has shown support for the two-tier Test cricket system, the ECB and CA have brought two different mindsets to the two-tier Test cricket.

The two-tier Test cricket model, which can be seen in the future ICC World Test Championship, can divide the 12 Test members into two divisions. In the ICC Annual Conference, it was the most significant topic. The ICC has also formed a working group, led by former New Zealand cricketer Roger Towse, to understand the effectiveness of the two-tier Test cricket model. 

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ECB chairman raises voice against two-tier Test cricket

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Richard Thompson isn't confident enough with the two-tier Test cricket system, as they can't afford to lose the chance to play against their Test rivals Australia and India.

Recently, in the BBC's Test Match Special, Thompson said, "There's a lot of options that we've got to look at - tiers would be one of them. We wouldn't want, as England, we may go through a fallow period, and that means, what, we fall into Division Two and we don't play Australia and India? That couldn't happen. There has to be a sense that common sense needs to play out here."

Thompson feels that the ICC WTC can work in a better way with the improvement of the cricket calendar, which is congested by various T20 leagues. 

The ECB chairman added, "The World Test Championship could work better than it does. It has definitely improved the narrative, [and] it has created a relevance. Seeing what it meant for South Africa to win - who are crushed by rugby in their own country - and seeing players I know really well, like Graeme Smith, in tears on the outfield, that was a real moment seeing them win. As much as I was critical that they turned up with a 'B' team when they played New Zealand [in 2024], it was still good for the game when the underdog wins.

"But the reality of it is, the World Test Championship, if it was improved upon and certain changes were made, maybe you don't need two tiers of Test cricket. What you do need is a schedule that makes a lot more sense than it currently does, and that must include the volume of bilateral cricket that you play, white-ball and red-ball, and recognising that from 2028, we have an Olympics. So what happens in 2028, when we have an Olympics, and our best 11 cricketers have got to go to LA for two weeks in the middle of July? That is going to throw up some challenges."

Cricket Australia CEO open-minded

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Todd Greenberg wants to see stronger versions of the present middle-ranked teams in Test cricket.

Greenberg is open-minded about the two-tier Test cricket system, as he feels that it should work better for the other Test-playing nations to earn their support. He further added that the other boards' CEOs also view it similarly. 

The Oval pitch curator, Lee Fortis, has defended himself after a controversy involving India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, during the fifth Test. Fortis said he was made to look like a villain just because he was protective about the main pitch area. He even compared the exciting Test match to the IPL, as it lasted nearly five full days.

A few days before the Oval Test, Gautam Gambhir was seen having a heated argument with the Oval’s head curator, Lee Fortis. It was not a pleasant scene, as Gambhir was seen shouting at Fortis over a small matter.

In the same video, Gambhir was also heard saying, “You are just a groundsman” to Fortis. This clip went viral on social media and got strong reactions. Later in the video, Fortis was seen warning Gambhir to stop using bad language or he would be reported.

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India Wins Thriller, But Tension Off the Field

India won the final Test by six runs in a thrilling finish, tying the series 2-2. After the match, Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis spoke about the controversy with Gautam Gambhir. He told PTI/NDTV:

“Well, I was never the villain; I was made into one. Hope you guys enjoyed the show, and the atmosphere was like the IPL. It was a great game.”

The incident happened when Indian coaches were told to stay 2.5 metres away from the pitch. This didn’t go well with the Indian team. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak shared in a press conference (via Indian Express):

“When we went to see the pitch, we were asked to keep a 2.5-metre distance. This was surprising. The Test was just a few days away, and we were wearing joggers. So it felt a bit odd.”

He added, “We all have played enough cricket. Curators are usually protective of the ground, but they should understand that they are speaking to skilled and experienced people.”

Fortis Stays Focused Despite Drama

During the heated exchange, Gambhir called Fortis “just a groundsman,” which upset the Indian camp. Fortis didn’t say much at the time but called Gambhir “tetchy” before the big match.

Fortis, who has won the ECB Curator of the Year award three times in a row, is known for being dedicated to his work. Soon after Siraj bowled Gus Atkinson to seal the win for India, Fortis was already back near the main pitch, preparing for The Hundred games starting August 9.

Even after the crowd had left the stadium, Fortis continued his work calmly. His actions, like driving the heavy roller before play, caught the eye of the Indian media. Locals describe the 7-foot-tall Fortis as an “interesting” person who takes his job very seriously.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a primary decision on the next three Final venues of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), and it is surely not good news for Indian cricket. 

The ICC has awarded England to host the next three ICC WTC Finals, which will be played in 2027, 2029, and 2031. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) successfully hosted the first three WTC Finals. Southampton hosted the inaugural WTC Final in 2021, where New Zealand won the first WTC mace after beating India in the Final.

The Oval hosted the second WTC Final between India and Australia in 2023, and Australia won that mace. Last June, Lord's hosted the third WTC Final (2025), where South Africa faced the defending champions and won the mace for the first time to end their 26-year drought of an ICC trophy.  

See Also: Upcoming ICC tournaments from 2026 to 2031: Check hosts, tournament type, and year

Next 3 ICC WTC Finals: India and other nations once again ignored

As the ECB successfully hosted the first three WTC finals, it is no shocker that the ICC has awarded the next three WTC Finals to them. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was interested in organising any of the next WTC Finals, but it seems far away from the dream.  

The ICC officially stated, "The Board also confirmed the awarding of hosting rights for the ICC World Test Championship Finals for the 2027, 2029, and 2031 editions to the England and Wales Cricket Board, following a successful track record in hosting recent finals."

Lord's has already been planned for the WTC Final 2027. So, the latest ICC meeting has brought the decision of the hosting nation for the ICC WTC Final 2029 and 2031. 

Why has England been preferred for the WTC Finals?

While the WTC Final has generally been played in June, England is one of the best places to host it at this time. Meanwhile, June is a rainy season for most of the Indian states, which makes it tougher for the country to host the big tournament.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has taken the cricketing world by storm with his sensational performances during India U-19’s 3-1 Youth ODI series win over England. The 14-year-old prodigy, who had already caught eyeballs through his explosive displays for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025, amassed 355 runs at a stunning strike rate of 174. His series tally included 27 sixes and a scintillating century, further strengthening his status as a generational talent.

Daniel Peacock, a prominent cricket analyst and statistician for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), revealed how Vaibhav’s brilliance is making waves far beyond Indian shores. “The first time I watched him in the flesh, though, I do remember a real air of excitement at Northamptonshire for the second one-dayer—more photos, more press, the BBC had even come to see him play,” Peacock told the Times of India.

“I knew I was watching a serious star talent. He hit 86 from 31 in a 40-over game reduced due to weather, which included six fours and nine sixes. He got a standing ovation after pulling the pacer Sebastian Morgan to backward square leg. The PA announcer, when announcing his score after the dismissal, said: ‘I think we will be seeing a lot more of this boy play.’”

“A very special young boy playing cricket”

Peacock recalled how the young sensation lit up the New Road ground in Worcestershire with a commanding all-round show. “Then at New Road, home of Worcestershire, in a near-perfect all-round performance, he strutted comfortably to 143 off 78 balls. By the time he walked off after being caught in the deep to spin, I think everyone inside the venue had long realized they had just witnessed something really special.”

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He further added how Vaibhav has grown into a crowd-puller and a national name in England among cricket lovers. “People are starting to make noise about him here. Cricket fans already know who he is—even if they can't all pronounce his name. These games usually attract a few die-hards, but there's certainly been a little extra media attention (we've had the likes of BBC, The Athletic, Getty, etc.), and a lot of British-Indians have come to watch Vaibhav play in the flesh for the first time.”

“The people I've spoken to in the game—I think we all have the same feeling. We've watched and witnessed a young star in the making, something very special. I would go as far as to say he's probably the best 14-year-old in any sport that I've seen live. I think the sentiment in England is that we are watching a very special young boy playing cricket—and the expectancy is Tendulkar-Kohli-level, or even beyond,” Peacock concluded.

ECB Looks at Bringing Back Global T20 Club Tournament

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is thinking about starting a new World Club Championship for T20 cricket. It’s been over ten years since the last Champions League T20 (CLT20) was held. The CLT20 ran from 2009 to 2014. Its final match was in Bengaluru in 2014, where Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders. The tournament stopped because not enough people were interested, and it didn’t make enough money.

Since then, many countries have started their own T20 leagues. England has The Hundred, South Africa has the SA20, the UAE has the ILT20, and the United States has the MLC. In other sports, too, club tournaments are growing. Football’s FIFA Club World Cup is getting a new format, and rugby is planning its own Club World Cup. ECB chief executive Richard Gould said they’re very interested in creating a tournament like the old CLT20.

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- CLT20 is set to return as the World Club Championship in 2026. 🤯

- ECB and ICC Chairman Jay Shah and BCCI are actively working on the idea. [𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐠]

MASSIVE GOOD NEWS FOR CRICKET LOVERS..! 😍 pic.twitter.com/NSpEWVhI39

— Pratyush Halder (@pratyush_no7) July 1, 2025

“That is on the cards,” Gould told ESPNcricinfo. “Without doubt, at some point, there will be a World Club Championship for both men and women. That’s the next logical step.” Gould also said the old CLT20 was a good idea but came too early. “That tournament was ahead of its time,” he said. “Commercially, it couldn’t keep up with expectations, but it was a really good event.”

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For this new World Club Championship to work, most of the IPL teams would need to support it. Many IPL owners already have teams in other countries. IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal has said that the BCCI might support the idea if it can bring real value to the game.

Jofra Archer's long-awaited return to red-ball cricket made headlines for more than just his on-field performance. The England pacer, featuring for Sussex in the County Championship after a 1501-day gap, breached the tournament’s clothing regulations by wearing black socks—against the rulebook that permits only white or light grey. Archer played against Durham at Chester-le-Street, marking his first red-ball appearance since 2021, but now faces a likely fine or official warning from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Archer looked in solid rhythm with both bat and ball. He bowled 18 overs and had one wicket to his name, catching opener Emilio Gay lbw, and also contributed 31 runs off 34 balls with a useful hand. Yet it was his sock selection that caused the furor. Rules for the County Championship clearly state that players are required to play in white or light grey socks, thus rendering Archer's black socks in direct breach. Such infractions normally earn players financial fines or disciplinary action.

Interestingly, Archer is not alone in this fashion misstep. Indian captain Shubman Gill was also seen wearing black socks during the ongoing Headingley Test and is under scrutiny by the ICC for the same. Both cases have drawn attention to strict clothing codes in red-ball cricket, which, while rarely enforced, remain binding for all players.

Archer’s Return Gains Momentum Despite Error

Despite the minor off-field blunder, Archer’s return has been promising. With his performance against Durham, he is now strongly in contention for a place in England’s Test side for the second Test against India at Edgbaston starting July 2. It would mark his first red-ball match for England in nearly four years.

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The comeback of the fast bowler from chronic injuries has been under observation, and this match is a step in this direction towards the international arena. While the incident with the sock may result in a small punishment, it hasn't cooled down the building excitement regarding Archer's comeback to the Test stage.