Ben Duckett and Josh Tongue have been awarded two-year central contracts by England, tying them both to the national team until September 2027.

Duckett, 31, has established himself as one of the planet’s premier all-format openers during a summer in which he scored 953 runs for England and Nottinghamshire.

His international commitments limited him to just one Championship appearance for the Green and Golds, at home to Sussex in April, though he made it count with a 31-ball 59 as the hosts cantered to a nine-wicket win inside three days.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Tongue, having spent the 2024 summer on the sidelines due to injury, roared back into form on both the domestic and international stages with 54 red-ball wickets.

Of those, 31 were in a Nottinghamshire shirt as he produced several dazzling showings over six appearances to help the Green and Golds to their first Championship title since 2010.

Capable of bowling in excess of 90mph, he was also the leading wicket-taker in the Men’s Hundred, taking 14 scalps at just 11.07 apiece for Manchester Originals.

Olly Stone, meanwhile, has not been awarded a central contract list following a spell on the sidelines through injury in the early part of the summer, before returning with productive performances for Notts in white-ball cricket and during a red-ball loan at Middlesex.

Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said: “This year’s central contract group reflects the depth and strength of talent we have across England Men’s cricket.

“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.

“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.”

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