Barbados-born Bethell in England's centrally-contracted list alongside Stokes, Archer

London, Nov 4 (PTI) Four-Test-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell was awarded his maiden central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which offered two-year deals to 14 multi-format cricketers, including Test captain Ben Stokes and injury-plagued pacer Jofra Archer.

The 22-year-old Bethell, who has also appeared in 18 ODIs and 20 T20 Internationals, is among the top 14 alongside other senior stars Joe Root, ODI captain Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson among others.

Bethell was born and brought up in Barbados before moving to England on a scholarship. He made his Test debut only last year.

"A total of 30 players have been awarded central contracts, comprising 14 Two-Year Central Contracts, 12 England Annual Central Contracts, and four England Development Contracts," the ECB said in a press release.

Five players -- Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood -- have also been awarded central contracts for the first time but for one year.

Three players -- Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley -- have been handed England Development Contracts for the first time, joining Josh Hull.

"The system, which covers both red-ball and white-ball cricket, takes into account the likelihood of players featuring in England teams across formats during the next period, while also recognising performances over the past year," the ECB stated.

Managing Director of England Men's Cricket Rob Key said the central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent in the country.

"We have awarded two-year deals to our multi-format players, so we can manage their workloads responsibly and give them the stability they need to perform across formats," he said referring to players like Stokes and Buttler who play at least two formats.

"We have also secured a number of white-ball players on longer agreements to help us plan effectively around the growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains their priority.

"This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible," he added.

England Two-Year Central Contracts (30 September 2027): Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).

England One-Year Central Contracts (30 September 2026): Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Zak Crawley (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Mark Wood (Durham), Luke Wood (Lancashire). PTI PM PM TAP