England split cricket coaching setups and hand out record 39 central contracts

Robinson, Duckett and Smith get one-year dealsEric Simons hired as Test fast-bowling coachRob Key believes he can now “map out the next two years” for the England men’s teams, having handed out a record 39 central contracts and unveiled new split coaching setups under Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum that he hopes will produce homegrown candidates for the top roles in future.The retirement of Ben Stokes mid-summer, plus Zak Crawley being dropped, has allowed Key to stretch the pot of money for player contracts further this year. Some 30 main deals have been issued – up from 26 last year – while nine players have been handed development contracts that top up their county pay. Continue reading…

Rob Key issues bumper number of central contracts and pledges to ‘map out’ next two years for England men’s teams Rob Key believes he can now “map out the next two years” for the England men’s teams, having handed out a record 39 central contracts and unveiled new split coaching setups under Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum that he hopes will produce homegrown candidates for the top roles in future. The retirement of Ben Stokes mid-summer, plus Zak Crawley being dropped, has allowed Key to stretch the pot of money for player contracts further this year.

Some 30 main deals have been issued – up from 26 last year – while nine players have been handed development contracts that top up their county pay. There is a blend of one- and two-year contracts in the main group, with the likes of Joe Root, Harry Brook,