Ben Stokes turns down ECB offer of three-year contract, signs one-year deal instead

Rob Key, the ECB's managing director, has played down Ben Stokes' decision to turn down a three-year central contract with the ECB in favour of a one-year deal, saying: "By no means does it mean that Ben Stokes doesn't want to play for England."

The ECB announced a list of 26 men who have signed central contracts on Tuesday, of which 18 have signed the first multi-year England contracts. The board felt compelled to act since players' earning potential in franchise leagues is higher than ever after the launch of the UAE's ILT20 and the SA20 in South Africa, both of which are supported by significant investment from IPL teams.

But while Harry Brook, Joe Root and Mark Wood have all signed three-year deals, Stokes' contract only covers the next 12 months. Stokes has been under contract with the ECB for the last nine years while lucrative commercial deals and IPL contracts - he was signed for INR 16.25 crore (£1.6 million approx.) by Chennai Super Kings in last year's auction - have ensured his financial security.

Stokes appears to have kept his options open ahead of the renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) and the ECB next year, which aligns with a new cycle of broadcast rights. A representative for Stokes declined to comment on his decision.

"In the simplest terms, we have done all of this stuff - multi-year deals - a year early," Rob Key, England's managing director, told the BBC in Bangalore. "The contracts system follows the broadcast cycle and the next broadcast cycle starts next year. In essence, to make any changes, really, you are meant to do that next year.

"[For] Ben Stokes, like people do when they have an offer of a long-term contract, it is that trade of security over a stronger negotiating position. Ben, quite rightly, feels when the next MoU starts and the contract cycle changes, he will be in a stronger position. Other players have gone for that security."

The ECB's contracting system considers both performances in the preceding year and the likelihood of players featuring in both red and white-ball cricket in the future. "It might be, next year, that there's a different system," Key told Sky Sports. "We're going to work on that as soon as we've got this done, as it's taken a little bit of a while."

Last week, Stokes spoke about "the landscape of cricket changing" when asked if he had considered whether he would play ODIs beyond the ongoing World Cup. "I want to play as much cricket as I possibly can for England," he said. "That's where it is for me. I love representing the badge and I want to do that as long as I possibly can and play as many games as I possibly can.

"We'll just see how things work out in terms of whether I do play [ODIs] after this. There's obviously a few things to go into that: new MoUs coming up and all that sort of stuff… we'll just see. I want to play as much cricket as I can for England until I can't anymore."

Key clarified to Sky: "By no means does it mean that Ben Stokes doesn't want to play for England. As captain of our Test team, all he ever talks about is how we can keep getting better and what we're doing. We're going to meet in a bit and start talking about the India tour that we've got after Christmas. I wouldn't read into [the length of his contract] at all."

Last month, Stokes said that he was "very comfortable" with the idea of players turning down contracts to prioritise their long-term financial security.

ESPNcricinfo understands that every player who was offered a deal has signed one, though some have agreed shorter terms than were initially presented. The announcement of contracts has been delayed while details were worked through, with deals backdated to run from October 1.

Brook, Root and Wood are the three players who have committed for three years, and Wood's inclusion is particularly notable. In August, he signed a substantial deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and hinted that he could consider skipping England's upcoming Test tour to India, depending on the details of his central contract.

A further 15 players have signed two-year deals, while Stokes is one of eight who has signed a one-year deal. The others include the three oldest players who have agreed contracts: James Anderson, who is 41 and approaching the end of his career, and Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan who are both 36.

Brook is among seven players who have signed their first central contracts, along with Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, while Malan has returned to a full central contract - for a single year - after he was only offered an incremental deal last year.

Ben Foakes has retained his central contract, suggesting that he remains in England's plans despite being dropped from the Test team ahead of this summer's Ashes series and could tour India next year.

Notable absentees include Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dan Lawrence, Phil Salt and David Willey. Jacks has played for England in all three formats across the past year and is expected to feature more prominently in their white-ball plans after this World Cup, while Willey is the only member of their World Cup squad without a contract for next year.

Jason Roy, who was released from the final months of his incremental contract to play in Major League Cricket earlier this year, is another omission from the list, giving further indication that his international career is over, while Craig and Jamie Overton and Olly Stone have all lost their development contracts.

Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and the uncapped John Turner are the three fast bowlers who have been awarded development contracts, which see the ECB provide a top-up of county salaries.

Three years: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Two years: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
One year: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley
Development contracts: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner