Why Ben Stokes has only signed a one-year England central contract?

The news of several English cricketers signing their central contract extensions with the national team has taken the cricket fraternity by storm. Harry Brook, Joe Root, and many other players have signed multi-year deals, which has come as a surprise due to the mammoth rise of franchise cricket.

However, one player who did not accept a multi-year contract is Test skipper Ben Stokes. It is worth noting that the ace English all-rounder has accepted just one year of extension on his central contract. According to Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket, Stokes only signed a one-year extension due to his desire to negotiate a big deal in 2024, when the contract expires. 

“By no means is it Ben Stokes saying, ‘I don’t want to play for England’, all he talks about is being completely committed to playing for England and also captaining that Test team – planning for India, planning for the Ashes, planning for West Indies and Sri Lanka next summer. I don’t think it has crossed his mind not playing for England for the next four, five, six years,” Key told the BBC.

“Ben, quite rightly, feels when the next memorandum of understanding starts and the contract cycle changes he will be in a stronger position. Other players have gone for that security," Key added.

It is also worth noting that Stokes is not the only player to reject a multi-year offer for the central contract. Many others who were offered the three-year contracts have opted with two year deals as they are likely to be offered lucrative deals in the future, as will be the case for Ben Stokes.

Notably, the players who were offered three-year contracts are stars who are not guaranteed picks for the Indian Premier League (IPL), and as time goes on, it could be interesting to see how the contract situation fares for each player. 

With Stokes’ extension being for one year, there are no signs as of yet that the veteran all-rounder will be calling it quits any time soon, and only time will tell what the future holds for Stokes.