Harry Brook, Joe Root Among Players To Get ECB Multi-Year Contract; Ben Stokes In One-Year Category

24.10.2023 - 12:59 sports.ndtv.com

Seven players, including Harry Brook, were among 29 England cricketers who were awarded central contracts by the ECB for the first time, while premier all-rounder and Test captain Ben Stokes was given a one-year contract on Tuesday.

The deal pre-dated from October 1 this year also includes a first-of-its-kind multi-year contracts, which were offered to 18 players including Brook, Joe Root and recuperating pacer Jofra Archer.

Apart from Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue received the contract for the first time.

Pacer Carse on Monday was named as a replacement for injured Reece Topley in England's squad for the on-going World Cup. Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Rob Key, said: "We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England.

cricket Ben Stokes England Cricket Team Joe Root Dawid Malan James Anderson Ollie Robinson Mark Wood Zak Crawley Rob Key Jos Buttler Chris Woakes Liam Livingstone Harry Brook Reece Topley Sam Curran Jack Leach Gus Atkinson Matthew Potts county Stokes

He might have reversed his ODI retirement decision to play the World Cup but England Test captain Ben Stokes would like to "think hard" about his future in 50-over format after his impending knee surgery. The England Test captain will undergo a surgery to fix his dodgy left knee later this month as he would be running against time to be fit for a busy calendar ahead beginning with the five-match series in India slated from January 25 in Hyderabad. "I'm Test captain, got a lot of stuff coming up," Stokes told Sky Sports on whether he would like to remain in England's scheme of things for their ODI team reboot.

"The Easy Way Out": Ben Stokes Not Ready To Leave World Cup For Knee Surgery

All-rounder Ben Stokes never considered quitting the World Cup early to expedite his planned knee surgery, despite England's upcoming Test tour to India in two-and-a-half months. "Going home would have been "the easy way out," he said. Stokes announced before England's 33-run defeat to Australia in Ahmedabad last week that he will have surgery later this month to address the chronic left knee problem that has forced him to play as a specialist hitter since the beginning of July. He anticipates that his rehabilitation will take between five and seven weeks, leaving him with a short turnaround before his Test team's January journey to India. The first of five Tests kicks off on January 25 in Hyderabad.

Ben Stokes rescues England again to set up big World Cup win over Netherlands

Ben Stokes once again came to England's rescue as his timely century pulled the struggling champions out of trouble and propelled them past 300 to set up a big World Cup win over the Netherlands.

Cricket World Cup 2023: Ben Stokes Becomes First England Player To Achieve This Big Feat

Ben Stokes became the first England player to score more than 10,000 runs and bag over 100 wickets in international cricket. Following the left-handed batter's 108-run knock against the Netherlands in the 40th match of the ODI World Cup at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Wednesday, he scored a total of 10,081 runs in international cricket. Apart from Stokes, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis and Sanath Jayasuriya are some other players with 10,000 and 100 wickets.

Cricket World Cup 2023: Ben Stokes Power England To Emphatic Win Over Netherlands

Ben Stokes' attacking century was well complemented by the bowlers as England cantered to a 160-run win over the Netherlands on Wednesday to stay in the hunt for a place in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Though England and Netherlands are out of reckoning for the semifinals, the contest between the two lowest-placed sides gain significance when it comes to qualifying for the Champions Trophy as only the top seven teams from the ongoing showpiece will qualify for the event.