SRH Star Harry Brook Open To Multi-Year Central Contract With England

Harry Brook, who has previously played in the Pakistan Super League and Australia's Big Bash, made his IPL debut this year after being acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 13.25 crore.

Harry Brook of England looks on during a training session before the 5th Test between England and Australia at The Kia Oval on July 25, 2023 in London, England.

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England cricketer Harry Brook has shown an interest in signing a muti-year central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Central Contracts are only awarded on a one-year basis in the current scenario but the multi-year deals could be introduced to take off interest from franchises. The 24-year-old Brook is a three-format player making him an ideal candidate for a long-term contract to be offered by England. 

"Franchise cricket is a bonus but I'm completely focused on playing cricket for England," said Brook as quoted by BCCI Sport.

The High-Performance Review of English Cricket, chaired by former England captain Andrew Strauss and released last year, raised the possibility of multi-year central contracts. With the growth of international short-form competitions, the concept of commiting players to their national assignments has emerged.

There are same owners controlling teams in different countries, hence there is potential for players to even sign a contract with a franchise that then will employ them in various leagues through the year. 

Some unverified rumours claim that the proprietors of the English players' Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have extended full-time offers to Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler.

In order to participate in the ongoing Major League Cricket tournament in the United States, batsman Jason Roy earlier this year chose to forego his contract with England.

Yorkshire's Brook seemed destined to establish himself as a versatile stalwart in the middle order for England. He has played in 11 Test matches and has an average of 64.05. In November last year, his side won the T20 World Cup. He'll probably be on the team representing his country in the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.

Brook, who has previously played in the Pakistan Super League and Australia's Big Bash, made his IPL debut this year after being acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 13.25 crore.

"I'm not bothered about all the franchise stuff," said Brook. "I want to play cricket for England.”

"If I'm in all three formats for England, I don't really feel like there's too much time to be playing any other franchise stuff. The IPL is the only one that is really free, when you're available for everything."

Brook gave his remarks before the final test, In order to tie the series at 2-2, England will play Australia in the last Ashes Test at The Oval.

When the fourth Test was abandoned in a draw due to weather, the host team was denied the opportunity to take home the urn. Despite the fact that Australia will at least keep the Ashes. England is aiming to maintain their undefeated home record against their oldest rivals, which dates back to 2001.

"It would have been class coming to here 2-2, but we can't think too much about that," Brook told BBC Sport.

"We have to move on and there's a Test match to win here. We're fully concentrated on that now."

Both England and Australia are all set to play their final Test at The Oval, starting from Thursday 27 July where England will look to bounce back and draw the series at 2-2, while Australia will seek their outright series win in England since 2001.