Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been handed their first central contracts in the new round of England deals announced on Monday.
All-rounder Gibson made her international debut during the T20 leg of the Women’s Ashes this summer, hitting the winning runs in the triumph at Lord’s that earned England a 2-1 series victory, their first against Australia in the shortest format since 2017.
Bouchier, meanwhile, has been on the fringes of the T20 side for much of the last two years but was handed a run at the top of the order against Sri Lanka this summer and made her 50-over bow against the same opponents, falling just short of a maiden international hundred in the Third ODI.
The pair are among eighteen players to be handed one-year deals, the same number that were dished out last year. Seamer Freya Davies drops out of last year’s list having played for England only twice in 2023, as does Katherine Sciver-Brunt, who retired this summer.
In addition, England have handed developmental contracts to wicketkeeper Bess Heath, fast-bowler Lauren Filer and teenage quick Mahika Gaur, the first time such deals have been awarded to female players. All three made international debuts this year.
"The central contracts are awarded to the players we feel will play a significant role over the next 12 months and beyond,” said managing director of women’s cricket Jonathan Finch. “We are at the start of an unprecedented busy period of international cricket and the group reflects the requirements of the multi-format schedule we face.
“Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been part of our group over the summer, have performed well and will be important players for England moving forward.
“The introduction of development contracts is a key step for us and allows us to support a wider group of players in their ongoing development and we will work closely with the regions to manage the players’ development and workloads.”
