Jacob Bethell has been awarded a two-year central contract with England.
The 22-year-old, who was previously on a development contract, is one of 30 players to be given a center contract after an impressive rise at international level, including becoming England’s youngest men’s captain in the T20 series against Ireland in September.
Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said: “This year’s core group of signings reflects the depth and strength of talent across England Men’s Cricket.”
Fast bowler Jofra Archer also extended his contract from one year to two after returning from a long-term injury, but Jonny Bairstow and Jack Leach missed out.
Bethel made his debut for England in a T20 match against Australia in September 2024 and was subsequently selected in the Test squad for the tour to New Zealand, where he scored a half-century.
The Warwickshire star scored his first professional century in a one-day international against South Africa, before captaining England to two wins against Ireland.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Brendon McCullum and Joe Root discuss Jacob Bethell’s impressive first ever professional century and just how talented this young batsman is.
Bethel is one of 14 players to sign two-year deals, all of whom have represented England in multiple formats.
Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley, who will play only in Tests, are among the players on one-year contracts, while Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqb Mahmoud, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood are the new signings in this category.
Four players have been signed on development contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Laws and Mitchell Stanley.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Check out the best shots of Jacob Bethell’s first professional century in the 3rd ODI between England and South Africa.
Mr Key added: “We signed two-year agreements with multi-format players to help us responsibly manage their workloads and provide them with the stability they need to perform across a variety of formats.
“We have also secured a number of white-ball players on long-term contracts to effectively plan around our growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains a priority.
“This structure allows us to properly support our players while maintaining the strongest possible team across all formats.”
England Central 2 year contract (30 September 2027)
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Jacob Bethel (Warwickshire)
Harry Brooke (Yorkshire)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Brydon Curse (Durham)
Sam Curran (Surrey)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Will Jacks (Surrey)
Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Josh Tan (Nottinghamshire)
England 1 year central contract (30 September 2026)
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
Sonny Baker (Hampshire)*
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Zach Crowley (Kent)
Liam Dawson (Hampshire)*
Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)*
Jamie Overton (Surrey)*
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Phil Salt (Lancashire)
Luke Wood (Lancashire)*
Mark Wood (Durham)
*Indicates players who have newly signed central contracts in 2025.
england development deal
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Eddie Jack (Hampshire)
Tom Laws (Surrey)
Mitchell Stanley (Lancashire)
