England prepare to offer Harry Brook their firsrt ever multi-year deal

Harry Brook is set to be offered England’s first multi-year central contract, with the ECB keen to secure a long-term commitment from the hero of their Headingley run chase.

Mail Sport can reveal the ECB are ready to give multi-year deals to a handful of players when the next round of central contracts are issued in October, as well as increasing match fees.

England managing director Rob Key has been lobbying his employers to move towards multi-year deals to reduce the risk of losing players to Twenty20 franchise competitions.

And the ECB are ready to grant his wish, despite operating under financial constraints.

Given Brook’s age — he is just 24 — and the fact that he is the only player whose starting place appears guaranteed across all three formats following Ben Stokes’s retirement from one-day internationals, he is viewed as a priority signing.

Harry Brook is set to be offered England’s first multi-year central contract, with the ECB keen to secure a long-term commitment from the hero of their Headingley run chase

England managing director Rob Key has been lobbying his employers to move towards multi-year deals to reduce the risk of losing players to Twenty20 franchise competitions

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Stokes, Joe Root and white-ball captain Jos Buttler may also be asked to sign extended deals, but will not be put under any pressure to do so.

The current round of central contracts are worth up to £900,000, plus £14,500 and £4,500 respectively for each Test and white-ball appearance.

So by giving the ECB greater control over his schedule, Brook could see his basic England salary rise above £1million a year.

The Yorkshire batter would still be permitted to play in the IPL, having earned £1.3m for making just 11 appearances for Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this year, although his availability for other franchise tournaments would be restricted.

The ECB’s willingness to offer longer contracts represents a radical change from the current system, which saw 18 central contracts and six incremental contracts of lesser value issued last October.

Brook is only on an incremental deal at present, as he had played just one Test match when the contracts were being finalised last year.

But he has enjoyed an extraordinary period since and became the quickest player to score 1,000 Test runs during his second-innings 75 at Headingley on Sunday.

Any changes to the set-up would have to be agreed by the Team England Player Partnership, with negotiations set to take place over the next two months.

Ben Stokes (left) and Joe Root (right) may also be asked to sign extended deals, but it will not be held against them or have any impact on selection if they refuse 

Brook is hugely in demand from T20 franchises all around the world and secured a contract in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad worth £1.3million earlier this year 

The ECB accept not everyone who is offered a multi-year deal will necessarily accept it, but any refusal would not be held against a player or have any impact on his selection.

Other than Stokes, the only other multi-format players involved in the Ashes are Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, all four of whom are towards the end of their international careers.

Brook is hugely in demand from T20 franchises, but has made it clear that playing for England is his priority.

Having starred for Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistan Super League last year, he agreed to the ECB’s request to withdraw from a contract with Joburg Super Kings in the inaugural SA20 tournament in South Africa in January.

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