Inside England’s Test team shake-up: How ECB got the money for nine more central contracts, why Ollie Pope and Shoaib Bashir are still in the picture while Ben Duckett only gets a year – and the new faces behind the scenes

England have bumped up the number of players on central contracts from 30 to 39, providing the ECB with control over their stars over a two-year cycle that includes a home Ashes series and a one-day World Cup.

England have also formalised the make-up of the backroom teams following a return to split coaching under Test boss Stephen Fleming and white-ball leader Brendon McCullum.

Here, Daily Mail Sport analyses the key questions.

WHERE IS ALL THE MONEY COMING FROM?

The short answer is from within, as the size of the pot for central contracts has not materially changed, just risen to match inflation. 

What has changed is the personnel, and the departures from the list of former Test captain Ben Stokes, who was on a seven-figure salary, plus two other big earners in Zak Crawley and Mark Wood, are significant. They have freed up the cash to cover new entries on to the first rung of the ladder, as well as climbs up it by some established players and nine development contracts. 

The development deals – in which the ECB pays 75 per cent of a player’s county contract and the county is compensated by paying only half, effectively representing a 25 per cent pay rise – are not particularly lucrative. More a commitment on both sides towards England Lions selections over the next 12 months.

CONTRACTS ARE EITHER ONE OR TWO-YEAR. WHO ARE THE WINNERS AND LOSERS? 

Awarding Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett just 12 months apiece shows how their stock has fallen. 

A year ago both men held places across all three formats. However, Smith was axed ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup and is no longer involved in white-ball squads while Duckett’s form, stretching back to an away Ashes in which he averaged just 16, is a concern. 

The message from Rob Key, England’s Director of Cricket, appears to be: prove your worth. Limiting their deals to one year, as with the recently returned Ollie Robinson, will serve to keep them hungry. 

Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid, white-ball veterans, are also engaged for just 12 months – a reflection that they are closer in age to 40 than 30 more than anything else. 

At the other end of the spectrum, however, Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker and Henry Crocombe are amongst the 11 players that have been given two years. 

This is clearly more about what the selectors believe they can produce going forward rather than what they have done to date with Cox and Baker featuring in Test and white-ball internationals this year and Crocombe, who moves from Sussex to Surrey this winter, yet to be capped.

CONSISTENCY OF SELECTION 

Ollie Pope and Shoaib Bashir are both included despite becoming peripheral figures. Pope, who captained England on multiple occasions in Test cricket when Stokes was injured, was axed during last winter’s 4-1 loss to Australia, but has been named in squads since. 

Bashir, who turns 23 on Tuesday, has made just two appearances since being handed a 12-month central contract last October. However, England will need spin resources for the tour of Bangladesh next February and Bashir’s name can be penned in for that assignment. 

With Liam Patterson-White and Mason Crane recipients of development deals, along with spinning all-rounder James Coles, there is arguably no way back for slow left-armer Jack Leach despite a County Championship bowling average of 20 and an economy rate just over two last summer.

CONTROLLING WORKLOADS OF THE PACEMEN

With 11 seamers included, England are clearly intent on managing their pace bowling resources with both next summer’s Ashes and the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa in autumn 2027 in mind. 

Amongst that group is Brydon Carse, who McCullum recently said needed to ‘get his house in order’ following a late night incident in Derby in August that is under investigation by the Cricket Regulator. 

Key says nothing has changed in regards to Carse’s availability for selection or honouring what for the Durham player is a second year of a two-year contract awarded last October.

COACHING CHANGES

Both Fleming and McCullum were given the opportunity to nominate their own coaching staff, triggering a new set of ‘default roles’ for those already in the system and some new appointments too. 

Marcus Trescothick becomes one of Fleming’s assistants along with Richard Dawson, who has been released by Glamorgan in order for him to be re-engaged by the ECB. 

The former England wicketkeeper, James Foster, part of New Zealand’s entourage during their 2-1 Test win over England in June, also comes in, specialising in keeping and fielding. That means Sarah Taylor, who, like Trescothick, was a coach across all England teams last summer, will work under McCullum going forward. 

The Test group is completed by Eric Simons, Fleming’s trusted bowling coach from Chennai Super Kings. England will hope that as a former coach of South Africa, Simons – a well respected, thoughtful technical coach – provides the tourists’ attack with an edge in three Tests in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town this winter. 

McCullum’s team retains spin coach Jeetan Patel, pace bowling coach Tim Southee and Kevin Pietersen, as a mentor.