The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) introduced central contracts in 2000 as a way to give them more control over their best players.

Last week, the ECB issued 39 central contracts to men’s players, external for the 2026-27 season. Of them, 30 were full central contracts; the other nine were development contracts.

For the 2025-26 term, the ECB announced their women’s central contracts at the end of November. Then, 17 players were on full contracts and four players were on ‘skills’ deals, akin to the men’s development contracts.

Should a player receive an ECB central contract, the ECB effectively becomes their primary employer ahead of the county side that they also represent.

It is expected that the ECB will pay most or all of a centrally contracted player’s salary, although that will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

They are designed to be forward-facing, meaning that when they are issued annually they are done so in a way that rewards their current top performers and looks at those players who are likely to play key roles in the near future.

Central contracts are multiformat and are issued to men’s and women’s players.

For women’s contracts, it is understood there is a bigger increase in a centrally contracted player’s salary from what they would have received from their counties compared to the men’s game.

Central contracts mean the ECB has more control over on-pitch and off-pitch factors for every player. These often include player workloads, injury recovery, strength and conditioning, and coaching resources, and they can be managed internally.