Sussex's Jofra Archer retains England central contract

Injury-hit Jofra Archer has retained his England central contract despite being sidelined for more than a year.

After two operations on a troublesome right elbow, Archer was set for a domestic comeback at the start of the English summer, but a stress fracture in the Sussex paceman’s lower back meant another lengthy absence.

Even though his return and a first international appearance since March 2021 is still a little way off, Archer is back bowling and has England’s continued backing after being offered another annual deal with half an eye on next year’s Ashes.

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s contracts structure is the same as last year, covering Test and limited-overs players, and takes into account performances from the past 12 months and the probability of who will feature over the next year, with 30 players furnished with some type of deal.

Sir Andrew Strauss’ high performance review has indicated a fresh look at the central contracts system, with ECB chair Richard Thompson suggesting multi-year deals could be put forward in future to ward off the growing threat from the lucrative T20 franchise circuit.

For now, however, the system which was first introduced last year, which scrapped the distinction between the red and white-ball formats with all players now in a single list and an internal pay scale that continues to offer greater weight to performances in Test cricket, remains in place.

Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, said: “I feel we have rewarded those players who have made a significant impact over the previous 12 months and those we expect to be part of England’s plans over the next period.

“The international game continues to evolve, and we must be mindful that we have to lead the way in player performance across the sport. The aim is to develop world-class players in all three formats as we strive to become the best team in the world.

“I would like to congratulate all the players offered agreements for the coming year. They will all play a pivotal role in England’s efforts over the next 12 months.”

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