ECB awards Test contracts

The ECB today announced 11 players who have been awarded Test Match central contracts for the 2002 domestic season. The names are as follows:

Nasser Hussain (Captain) - Essex - 28.3.68
Mark Butcher - Surrey - 23.8.72
Andrew Caddick - Somerset - 21.11.68
Andrew Flintoff - Lancashire - 6.12.77
James Foster - Essex - 15.4.80
Ashley Giles - Warwickshire - 19.3.73
Darren Gough - Yorkshire - 18.9.70
Matthew Hoggard - Yorkshire - 31.12.76
Graham Thorpe - Surrey - 1.8.69
Marcus Trescothick - Somerset - 25.12.75
Michael Vaughan - Yorkshire - 29.10.74

Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney, said, "The Selectors understand that budget constraints mean that ECB cannot grant more than 12 Test Contracts for the forthcoming summer. However we are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the consistency of selection and the improved team ethos that we have achieved over the last couple of years working within this constraint and we are keen to see an increase in the number of contracted players as soon as possible.

The purpose of the naming of 11 players at this stage is to assist the Counties in their early season preparations and to fulfil the Head Coach's wishes for certain players to rest after this winter's commitments. Both Duncan Fletcher and I look forward to meeting senior representatives of the ECB to discuss our aspirations for the future with regard to the contracting system."

John Carr, ECB Director of Cricket Operations, said, "The Board fully understands the Selectors' desire to move to the central contracting of a larger squad of England players and at its forthcoming meeting, the International Teams Management Group is scheduled to be fine-tuning a paper recommending this change for implementation from September 2002. The paper is due to be presented to the ECB First Class Forum on 13 May."

With regard to the selection of James Foster, David Graveney said, "We have been very happy with James's efforts over the winter. The situation has been explained to Alec Stewart and I can confirm that he will not be excluded from future discussions regarding Team selection." Players awarded a central contract who were involved in only the Test Match OR ODI squads during the winter (Gough, Butcher) will be available to play for their Counties from the beginning of the season.

Players awarded a central contract who were involved in BOTH Test and ODI squads during the majority of the winter (Hussain, Trescothick, Vaughan, Thorpe, Flintoff, Foster, Caddick, Hoggard, Giles) will be available to play for their counties in the final two Benson & Hedges Cup group matches and the Frizzell County Championship match from 8-11 May.

No player selected for the first npower Test Match against Sri Lanka will be available for the Norwich Union League matches on Sunday 12 May.