England stars reject multi-year contract from ECB, open to lucrative T20 franchise deals

According to reports, England players have turned down multi-year central contracts from the ECB so they can continue to compete for lucrative Twenty20 franchise contracts. Prior to next month's Cricket World Cup in India, which will take place from October 5 to November 19, discussions have been underway with English players. Per reports, the anticipated increase in match fees was not included in the initial offer, and due to that negotiations over the multi-year central contracts have halted.

3 things you need to know

• With the onset of franchise cricket, players are driving towards different leagues
• England players have turned down multi-year central contracts to play in lucrative T20 leagues
• Playing in T20 leagues is becoming more attractive to players

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England stars reject multi-year contract from ECB

The ECB is reportedly prepared for players to reject multi-year deals, preferring instead to sign on a year-by-year basis so they can accept offers from T20 franchises. Talks are expected to continue between the ECB and the Team England Player Partnership, who are overseeing talks for the players. Earlier this month, Mail Sport revealed that the ECB had abandoned plans to raise match costs for England's team in favour of providing their star players with up to eight two-year core contracts. Due to financial constraints, the ECB delayed the salary boost until at least next year. The wage increase had been scheduled to coincide with the commencement of the World Cup.

Instead, the ECB planned to provide up to eight two-year contracts for up to £800,000 per year to chosen players. Due to his age and significance to the team in all three formats, Harry Brook has been targeted for a longer contract. According to Mail Sport, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Mark Wood will also be offered two-year deals. Wood has committed to play in the IL T20 in the UAE next year, a move which may limit his availability for England's five-match Test series against India.

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Disparity between men and women

The ECB's decision to adopt the same match prices for men and women in England going forward—roughly £3,500 for T20s, £5,000 for one-day internationals, and £12,500 for Test matches—had an impact on their thinking on match fees. Although there is still a significant disparity between the value of their central contracts, which are worth up to £100,000 and £800,000 respectively, England's women still receive less money than the men do for white-ball games and Test matches. Previously, they received about 25% and 15% of the men's costs, respectively.