Hot on the heels of Australia announcing multiyear contracts for their best men’s players, England have followed suit. The difference? Pat Cummins has signed up to play for his country until the next Ashes series in Australia and Ben Stokes, his opposite number as Test captain, has not.
This is an eye-catching move by Stokes, regardless of the comparison with Australia and Cummins. Amid the swell of domestic Twenty20 leagues, the England and Wales Cricket Board has rejigged its annual contract system to tie down the premier talent for longer. But despite an offer of three years sitting on the table, and a knee injury that remains shrouded in mystery, Stokes has agreed terms for just the next 12 months.
