Bears Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali have been awarded Central Contract offers for England Men's international cricket for the year from 1 October 2023.
The system, which covers both red-ball and white-ball players, considers the likelihood of players featuring in England teams across formats over the next period while recognising performances in the previous year.
Woakes – who’s just two Tests short of making 50 red ball appearances for his country – has been awarded a Two-Year Central Contract.
It’s the first time multi-year contracts have been awarded since the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced the system in 2000.
Bears T20 Captain Ali – who’s made 279 England appearances across all formats – has been given a One-Year Contract.
In total, 29 players have received Central Contract offers.
Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said: “It is great news and a credit to the players for demonstrating their commitment to English cricket in the ever-changing landscape of the sport.
“I would like to congratulate all the players who have been offered contracts.”
Only 1,000 tickets left for Day Three
Following record demand, only 1,000 tickets now remain for Day Three of the Men’s Test against West Indies.
General admission tickets for the first two days are already sold out, with limited now left for the third day. And fans can still get tickets at Early Bird prices if purchased before 19 December deadline.