England officials hand out multi-year deals to 18 players to ward off franchise threat

A decision not to offer players multi-year deals could come back to bite Cricket Australia after their English rivals took a bold new step.

England cricket officials have taken a bold step into the new world that Cricket Australia has so far baulked at, handing out multi-year deals to a massive 18 players in order to ward off the threat of year-round, big-money franchise contracts being offered to star players.

It comes as the Australian Cricketers Association declared the CA contracting system was outdated, leaving it vulnerable, with reports white-ball stars and centrally contracted players Glenn Maxwell Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa are being courted by cashed-up T20 franchise owners.

Eight leading Australian Test stars, including Pat Cummins and Marnus Labuschagne, were given multi-year contracts by CA but more requests were denied, predominantly from white-ball stars.

Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell are being chased for year-round T20 deals. Picture: Tauseef Mustafa / AFP

The England and Wales Cricket Board went a big step further than CA, handing three players, including former captain Joe Root, three-year contracts, while another 15 received two-year deals as it introduced multi-year contracts for the first time.

The changes were a direct response to the rapid growth in the players’ earning potential with overseas franchises, a move sparked by a $600,000 offer to paceman Mark Wood, who got a three-year-deal, to play T20 cricket in the United Arab Emirates.

“We felt that retainers gave enough incentive … all the time they had the retainer, players wouldn’t choose franchise cricket over a central contract,” ECB managing director Rob Key said.

“And then that changed a little bit when Woody was offered a big deal out in the UAE to play in the ILT20. Then we thought, ‘Hang on, we might need to think about this and make sure that we can offer enough incentive for our best players to sign central contracts’. And we got a little bit more money put into the pot.

“It’s the first time we’ve been able to not call the bluff of players but actually say, ‘Come on then, where do you want to be?’ And actually, they’ve all chosen to play for England – to commit to play for England as and when selected.”

With CA facing a similar challenge and conversations with players about franchise deals happening currently, players’ union boss Todd Greenberg said a change in direction would be needed.

Australia's captain Pat Cummins has a multi-year deal with CA. Picture: Sajjad Hussain / AFP

He said the ACA wanted to ensure that playing for Australia remained the No.1 priority for all players but conceded the next generation might see things differently.

“There is huge interest and opportunity outside of central contracting to play all over the world in T20 global events and through innovation and entrepreneurs everywhere and that’s creating a challenge,” he told SEN.

“The model is being challenged. Men and women coming through the system may have only dreamt of wearing a baggy green. That’s changing and that’s the reality of what we are facing.

“Some of the money being offered is impossible to compete. We have to get our eyes up.

“Players have more choice and opportunity than any time in the game’s history and we want to try and find that balance between ensuring they want to play for their country but also have the opportunities to play elsewhere.

“That’s the fine balance we are negotiating.”