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Moeen Ali among six new players to get England central contracts Steven Finn among six new players to get England central contracts
(about 5 hours later)
England have awarded a first central contract to six players who have made their Test debuts in the past nine months, reflecting the huge transition in the team during that period. Steven Finn was the eye-catching inclusion and his Middlesex team-mate Sam Robson the striking omission when England announced the most significant shake-up of contracted players since the system was introduced 14 years ago.
It is the biggest shake-up since central contracts were introduced 14 years ago, with four of the 11 who were awarded deals last September no longer in contention – Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Matt Prior and Kevin Pietersen. Five of the 11 players who were awarded central contracts last September have not received new deals, of whom Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann are no longer under consideration. Matt Prior had major achilles surgery this week after ceding his Test place to Jos Buttler, Jonathan Trott is in the early stages of his comeback with Warwickshire after leaving last winter’s Ashes tour for mental reasons, and Tim Bresnan has not played an international in any format all summer.
Tim Bresnan also misses out but Steve Finn has retained his position. The six newcomers to the contracted elite are Moeen Ali, Gary Ballance, Jos Buttler and three seam bowlers; Chris Jordan, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes. Prior, Trott and Bresnan will therefore be left to negotiate deals with Sussex, Warwickshire and Yorkshire respectively, and the England and Wales Cricket Board have allowed the coach Peter Moores and his fellow selectors to award a first full contract to six players who had a single Test appearance between them this time last year.
That is a reflection of the ridiculous amount of international cricket that England face over the next 12 months – the World Cup early next year is followed by a total of 17 Tests in nine months against West Indies, New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan, which will place unprecedented demands on all the players but especially the bowlers. Chris Woakes, who made his debut in the fifth Test of the 2013 Ashes series at The Oval, is one of three seamers among the newcomers, with Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes, as England look ahead to a ridiculously busy period in which the World Cup early next year is followed by 17 Tests in nine months.
Liam Plunkett is left with his incremental deal, although he made a welcome return to action this week with Yorkshire’s second team for the first time since suffering an ankle injury after the third Test against India at the Ageas Bowl. The senior seamers, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, are among the group of five players whose contract renewals were inevitable, along with Ian Bell, Joe Root and Alastair Cook. They are joined by Finn, who has clearly done enough in a full county season with Middlesex and in white-ball cricket with England in the last couple of weeks to convince the selectors, including his county coach Angus Fraser, that he has recovered from a traumatic Ashes tour and can still be an important bowler for England in future years.
In addition to Finn, the five senior England players whose contract renewals were a formality are Alastair Cook, Jimmy Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad and Joe Root. Liam Plunkett, who made a surprising and promising return to Test cricket this summer at the age of 29 after a seven-year absence, is one of five players who receive a smaller, incremental deal. The others are Ravi Bopara, Alex Hales, James Tredwell and Eoin Morgan, which is a heavy hint that all five remain in England’s World Cup plans and will therefore be included in the squad for the one-day tour of Sri Lanka to be announced later this month – Bopara having been surprisingly omitted from the 50-over series defeat by India.
Sam Robson is another notable omission, despite having played in each of England’s seven Tests this summer, reflecting his failure to nail down the position as Cook’s opening partner. He is expected to be selected alongside a couple of potential rivals, the Yorkshire openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees, for the Lions tour of South Africa in January. Robson, who automatically received an incremental deal with Plunkett after both had played in the first four Tests of this summer, has missed out altogether, confirming that his position as Cook’s opening partner is under threat. Robson is expected to be included with the Yorkshire openers Adam Lyth and Alex Lees in an England Lions squad for a tour of South Africa early next year, when all three will have a chance to stake a claim for a place in England’s next Test series, in West Indies in April and May.
Central contracts Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Steve Finn, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes. Plunkett is likely to join a fast-bowling performance programme in South Africa before Christmas, having abandoned his hopes of playing in Yorkshire’s last County Championship game of the season against Somerset the week after next. He bowled a few overs in a second team game this week for the first time since being ruled out of the fourth Test of the series against India in August with a right foot injury, but will now take another break after feeling a niggle in his left achilles.
Central contracts Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.
Incremental contracts Ravi Bopara, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, James Tredwell.Incremental contracts Ravi Bopara, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, James Tredwell.