London, October 12, 2026 — The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its England men’s contract list for the 2026-27 season, awarding Central Contracts to 30 players and Development Contracts to nine players as the team prepares for a busy international calendar.
The expanded 39-player roster marks a significant step in squad planning, incorporating seven first-time central contract recipients alongside six players who have earned their maiden England Development Contracts. The selection criteria reflect performances over the past twelve months, alongside an assessment of players’ potential key roles across both Test and white-ball formats in the upcoming season.
Joe Root, Harry Brook Among Players on Two-Year Deals
England captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Harry Brook headline the prestigious list of players awarded two-year central contracts, which secure their status until September 30, 2028.
The core group of 30 centrally contracted players features a blend of established international stars—such as Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, and Ollie Pope—and a promising cohort of emerging domestic talents.
In total, eleven players have signed two-year agreements. Sonny Baker has been upgraded to a two-year deal, while Jordan Cox and Henry Crocombe have also secured long-term contracts until September 2028. Additionally, fast bowler Ollie Robinson returns to the central contract list, regaining his status after previously holding a central deal in 2022 and 2023.
Seven Players Receive First Central Contracts
Seven players have earned their first-ever England men’s central contracts for the upcoming cycle:
- Tom Banton
- Sam Cook
- Jordan Cox
- Henry Crocombe
- Emilio Gay
- Matthew Fisher
- Dan Lawrence
These additions highlight the ECB’s commitment to broadening its talent pool across all formats and building deep squad coverage ahead of major international assignments.
England Men’s Central Contracts 2026-27
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Root* |
| 2 | Harry Brook* |
| 3 | Rehan Ahmed |
| 4 | Jofra Archer* |
| 5 | Gus Atkinson* |
| 6 | Sonny Baker* |
| 7 | Tom Banton |
| 8 | Shoaib Bashir |
| 9 | Jacob Bethell* |
| 10 | Jos Buttler |
| 11 | Brydon Carse |
| 12 | Sam Cook |
| 13 | Jordan Cox* |
| 14 | Henry Crocombe* |
| 15 | Sam Curran* |
| 16 | Liam Dawson |
| 17 | Ben Duckett |
| 18 | Emilio Gay |
| 19 | Matthew Fisher |
| 20 | Will Jacks* |
| 21 | Dan Lawrence |
| 22 | Saqib Mahmood |
| 23 | Jamie Overton |
| 24 | Ollie Pope |
| 25 | Matthew Potts |
| 26 | Adil Rashid |
| 27 | Ollie Robinson |
| 28 | Phil Salt |
| 29 | Jamie Smith |
| 30 | Josh Tongue* |
* Players marked with an asterisk have signed two-year deals until September 30, 2028.
Nine Players Awarded Development Contracts
The ECB has also named nine players on England men’s Development Contracts for the 2026-27 season. The programme provides opportunities for emerging players to progress towards the senior international setup.
James Coles, Mason Crane, Ben McKinney, Liam Patterson-White, Thomas Rew and Matthew Revis have all received their first development deals.
Crane’s contract comes in the same week that he is set to join an England squad for the first time in more than eight years.
At 18, Thomas Rew is the youngest player on the development list. He captained England’s Young Lions to the final of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup earlier this year.
England Men’s Development Contracts 2026-27
| No. | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | James Coles |
| 2 | Mason Crane |
| 3 | Josh Hull |
| 4 | Eddie Jack |
| 5 | Ben McKinney |
| 6 | Liam Patterson-White |
| 7 | Thomas Rew |
| 8 | Matthew Revis |
| 9 | Mitch Stanley |
ECB Confirms England Coaching Structure
Alongside the contracts, the ECB has confirmed its national lead coaching structure and staff for the England men’s Test and whiteball teams.
Mike Yardy has been appointed Elite National Batting Lead, while Richard Dawson will serve as Elite National Spin Bowling Lead. Troy Cooley began his role as Elite National Pace Bowling Lead earlier this year.
England men’s Test head coach Stephen Fleming will work alongside Dawson, Marcus Trescothick, James Foster and Eric Simons.
Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum’s whiteball coaching team will include Sarah Taylor, Jeetan Patel and Tim Southee, with Kevin Pietersen taking on a specialist mentor role.
The coaching staff will be in place for England’s upcoming tours of South Africa in Test cricket and Australia in whiteball cricket.
