Ben Stokes, England’s Test captain, is a surprise absentee from the list of 18 players who have signed the first batch of multi-year ECB central contracts and has instead agreed a one-year deal with the board.

The ECB has only previously offered contracts on an annual basis, but players’ earning potential in franchise leagues is higher than ever after the launch of the UAE’s ILT20 and the SA20 in South Africa, both of which are supported by significant investment from IPL teams. As a result, they offered a number of multi-year deals for this contract cycle.

But while Harry Brook, Joe Root and Mark Wood have all signed three-year deals, Stokes’ contract only covers the next 12 months. Stokes has been under contract with the ECB for the last nine years while lucrative commercial deals and IPL contracts – he was signed for INR 16.25 crore (£1.6 million approx.) by Chennai Super Kings in last year’s auction – have ensured his financial security.

Stokes appears to have kept his options open ahead of the renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the ECB next year, which aligns with a new cycle of broadcast rights. A representative for Stokes declined to comment on his decision.

Last week, Stokes spoke about “the landscape of cricket changing” when asked if he had considered whether he would play ODIs beyond the ongoing World Cup. “I want to play as much cricket as I possibly can for England,” he said. “That’s where it is for me. I love representing the badge and I want to do that as long as I possibly can and play as many games as I possibly can.

“We’ll just see how things work out in terms of whether I do play [ODIs] after this. There’s obviously a few things to go into that: new MoUs coming up and all that sort of stuff… we’ll just see. I want to play as much cricket as I can for England until I can’t anymore.”

Last month, Stokes said that he was “very comfortable” with the idea of players turning down contracts to prioritise their long-term financial security.

The ECB’s contracting system considers both performances in the preceding year and the likelihood of players featuring in both red and white-ball cricket in the future. “The ECB has worked closely with the Professional Cricketers’ Association and Team England Player Partnership on behalf of the players to reach an outcome for all parties,” the board said.

ESPNcricinfo understands that every player who was offered a deal has signed one, though some have agreed shorter terms than were initially presented. The announcement of contracts has been delayed while details were worked through, with deals backdated to run from October 1.

Brook, Root and Wood are the three players who have committed for three years, and Wood’s inclusion is particularly notable. In August, he signed a substantial deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and hinted that he could consider skipping England’s upcoming Test tour to India, depending on the details of his central contract.

A further 15 players have signed two-year deals, while Stokes is one of eight who has signed a one-year deal. The others include the three oldest players who have agreed contracts: James Anderson, who is 41 and approaching the end of his career, and Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan who are both 36.

“We are rewarding those players who we expect to make a significant impact over the coming years playing for England,” Rob Key, England’s managing director, said. “It is great news and a credit to the players for demonstrating their commitment to English cricket in the ever-changing landscape of the sport.”

Brook is among seven players who have signed their first central contracts, along with Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, while Malan has returned to a full central contract – for a single year – after he was only offered an incremental deal last year.

Ben Foakes has retained his central contract, suggesting that he remains in England’s plans despite being dropped from the Test team ahead of this summer’s Ashes series and could tour India next year.

Notable absentees include Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dan Lawrence, Phil Salt and David Willey. Jacks has played for England in all three formats across the past year and is expected to feature more prominently in their white-ball plans after this World Cup, while Willey is the only member of their World Cup squad without a contract for next year.

Jason Roy, who was released from the final months of his incremental contract to play in Major League Cricket earlier this year, is another omission from the list, giving further indication that his international career is over, while Craig and Jamie Overton and Olly Stone have all lost their development contracts.

Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and the uncapped John Turner are the three fast bowlers who have been awarded development contracts, which see the ECB provide a top-up of county salaries.

ECB central contracts, 2023-24

Three years: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Two years: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
One year: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley
Development contracts: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner