End Of T20 Cricket? ECB Set to Offer Multi-Year Contracts to Players
England Test team [Source: Twitter]
In a landmark move, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have given the go-ahead for the introduction of multi-year central contracts for men's cricket beginning October 2023. The move comes as a ploy to stop English players from participating in various cash-rich T20 Leagues over national duties.
The concept of centrally contracted players started back in 2000, with the ECB overseeing the management of star-players. As per The Independent, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould said the board understands that with ever-changing cricket dynamics, players will need to be lured and tied down for a longer period of time.
Several County players have turned down contracts over the past year and have gone freelancing in order to play multiple leagues around the world without any constraints.
"I think we will be trying to tailor contracts to the needs of each individual in order to ensure that we can secure their services for when we need them. We don’t have a choice in this, if we don’t secure the services of our best players, the media rights deal will drop. This is an existential issue for us. We cannot afford not to have our best players available when we really need them. Otherwise our values will drop.”
Gould further stated that the ECB wants to create pathways for its players in both men's and women's cricket.
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