ECB set to discard dual contract system from the 2022 season

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is all set to scrap the existing system of separate central contracts for red-ball and white-ball players from next season onwards.

According to a report published in Sportsmail, the development is part of a major overhaul that will allow coach+selector Chris Silverwood a wider pool of players to pick from.

Reports have claimed that the ECB will hand out 25 central contracts later this month with Test and ODI players clubbed together. The list will also include younger players who will be handed developmental contracts.

Last year, 12 players were handed Test and white-ball contracts each, while five players were awarded multiple format contracts. The likes of Dawid Malan, Jack Leach, Dom Bess and Chris Jordan were handed developmental contracts.

The players who were handed Test central contracts were James Anderson, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope, Stuart Broad and Sam Curran. Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer were the only players who were awarded Test+white-ball retainer.

White-ball only retainees comprised of Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Mark Wood, Tom Curran and Jason Roy.

Chris Silverwood happy with the new contract system

The Test contract under the current system is worth £6,50,000 as opposed to the white-ball contract, which amounts to £2,50,000.

The ECB introduced a system of handing dual contracts to players way back in 2016 as part of their bid to prioritize ODI cricket.

While the ambition was fulfilled when Eoin Morgan's men lifted the World Cup in 2019 at Lord's, the onset of Covid-19 has made the system untenable.

Considering the hectic schedule and a grueling bubble life in the backdrop of the pandemic, England has opted to adopt the controversial rotation policy.

As a result, Silverwood has often been left with no option but to pick non-red-ball contracted players like Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali in Test match cricket.

While Bairstow has played eight Tests this year, Ali has featured in 4 matches despite only having a white-ball contract. Jack Leach, Dom Bess and Dawid Malan, on the other hand, have played 6, 4 and 2 Tests this year despite only having an incremental retainer.

Silverwood welcomed the move as he believes the new system will bring more clarity to selection besides creating unity among players.