Ben Stokes signs two-year contract with England until 2025-26 Ashes | England cricket team

Ben Stokes is set to give English cricket a major boost by signing a two-year contract that will tie him through to the 2025-26 Ashes tour.

The England Test captain caused a surprise last year by signing only a one-year deal, despite the England and Wales Cricket Board offering multi-year contracts for the first time. Joe Root, Mark Wood and Harry Brook all signed three-year contracts, while Ollie Pope and Jofra Archer were among those signing two-year deals.

The ECB will offer fewer long-term contracts this year as it counts the cost of some costly mistakes made 12 months ago. Jonny Bairstow signed a two-year deal worth £800,000-a-year in October last year but has not featured for England in any format since the T20 World Cup in June and faces little chance of a recall, prompting the ECB to pay him more than £1m not to play.

Stokes’ commitment to England has never been in doubt, but as he prepares for knee surgery 12 months ago, he has chosen to keep his options open. The 33-year-old returned successfully for last winter’s tour of India and, despite missing the recent home series against Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury, has proven to himself that his body can handle the rigours of Test cricket.

Stokes will return to lead England in the three-match Test series in Pakistan next month, with the ECB hoping to announce the new crop of central contracts before the players leave.

The complicated nature of the multi-year deal negotiations meant the ECB was unable to confirm the current contracts until midway through England’s 50-over World Cup campaign in India last year, a significant distraction, according to multiple sources involved, as Jos Buttler’s side endured a disastrous campaign that saw them fail to reach the semi-finals.

Stokes’ willingness to commit longer-term is another major boost for the ECB, following last week’s announcement that Brendon McCullum has signed a new contract as England’s test and white-ball coach until the end of 2027.

The New Zealander will take charge of the limited-overs teams from January ahead of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan the following month. His new contract will see him take charge of the 2026 Twenty20 World Cup and the 50-over version the following year, as well as two Ashes series.

Stokes’ new deal won’t last long, but he says he’s close to McCullum and keen to continue working with him. The pair have transformed England’s Test team, which has won 19 of the 29 matches they’ve led and has only won one of the previous 17. Stokes pulled out of this year’s Indian Premier League and T20 World Cup to ensure he would be fit for this summer’s Tests, the format that remains his priority.

The ECB may offer extensions to some of those players who are entering the final 12 months of their current contracts, including Pope – the vice-captain – and Archer. Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Gus Atkinson also have 12 months left on their contracts, but given they are not in high demand with T20 franchises, the ECB may not offer extended terms.

Jamie Smith is set to get his first central contract after impressing as a wicketkeeper-batsman this summer. 6ft 1in fast bowler Josh Hull is also in the running after being selected for the Pakistan tour, but he will have to settle for a development contract.

Most of the eight players whose one-year contracts expire will not be offered new ones, with James Anderson, Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan having retired, while Ben Foakes and Ollie Robinson are out of favour. Jack Leach and Reece Topley are likely to be offered new one-year deals.