Ben Stokes turns down ECB offer of three-year central contract, joining Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer in rejecting fixed annual payment in favour of ‘stronger negotiating position’ when his current deal expires

• Ben Stokes has turned down an ECB offer of a three-year central contract
• He joins Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer in rejecting the fixed payment deals
• Stokes believes he will be in a ‘stronger negotiating position’ when 1-yr deal ends

Ben Stokes has turned down the ECB’s offer of a three-year central contract, believing he will be in a ‘stronger negotiating position’ when his one-year deal expires in October 2024.

With the board offering multi-year deals for the first time in a bid to keep T20 franchises at bay, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer also rejected three-year deals – leaving Harry Brook, Joe Root and Mark Wood as the only players to accept the biggest offer on the table. 

But while they have agreed to a fixed annual payment, Stokes has calculated that more money will be on offer once the ECB have renegotiated their broadcast deal.

‘Ben feels he’s probably got a stronger negotiating position going into next year,’ said Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket. ‘It is the same with every sports person: you might have more power if you have a good year to negotiate what you want.   

‘But he’s 100 per cent committed to England.’ 

Ben Stokes has turned down the offer of a three-year central contract with the ECB

Managing director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, said Stokes is ‘still 100% committed to England’

Key thinks England have ‘overthought’ their tactics in a disastrous start to their World Cup

Meanwhile, Key believes England have ‘overthought’ their tactics during a disastrous start to their World Cup defence in India. 

They now need to win all five remaining group matches to stand any chance of reaching the semi-finals, starting with Sri Lanka on Thursday.

‘We haven’t always made the best decisions, and I count myself at the top of the list,’ said Key. 

‘We’ve overthought conditions.’

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