ECB agrees contracts with England players

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that it had reached agreement with the England players on the details of their new England contract.

Simon Pack, the International Teams Director, said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement because central contracts represent an important step forward for English cricket.

"The discussions we have had have been constructive and positive throughout and, contrary to some reports, there has been no acrimony between the Board, the team or their representatives.

"The contracts are very comprehensive and it was important to ensure that both sides were happy with the details. We have achieved this and the players can now concentrate fully on preparing for the forthcoming international season."

The 12 contracted players are:

Nasser Hussain (Captain), Michael Atherton, Andrew Caddick, Andrew Flintoff, Darren Gough, Dean Headley, Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash, Chris Schofield, Alec Stewart, Michael Vaughan, Craig White.