Multi-format players’ salary nears £1m

Jofra Archer will join Ben Stokes as England’s leading earner when new central contracts are signed.

Archer will almost certainly be handed a red and white-ball contract in October unless he has a spectacular collapse in form.

It will give the England and Wales Cricket Board control over his commitments and will cut down drastically his time playing Twenty20 leagues.

He will be limited to the Indian Premier League, where he has one year left on an £800,000 contract with Rajasthan Royals. The new central contracts negotiated by the ECB and Professional Cricketers Association will bring England’s multi-format players around £1 million per year for the first time. Add Archer’s IPL earnings, plus endorsements that will come his way, and he will double his salary.

The new central contracts will be weighted towards Test cricket, to prevent a talent drain to Twenty20.

The basic value of a Test and white-ball contract will be £925,000 before win bonuses and match fees. The deals have not yet been signed off by the ECB and PCA but the players are understood to be happy with the terms negotiated on their behalf with the help of Richard Bevan, the former chief executive of the PCA.

A deal for Test-only players will rise to £650,000 next year, offering an incentive not to give up firstclass cricket for Twenty20.

It was confirmed yesterday that England’s batting coach, Mark Ramprakash, would leave his job this month. England want Graham Thorpe, who works mainly with the Lions and one-day team, to spend more time with the Test side.