England Test captain Ben Stokes agrees new two-year contract with ECB ahead of upcoming Pakistan series

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England Test captain Ben Stokes has agreed new terms with the ECB as part of a new two-year central contract. The 33-year-old is in the squad to play in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, but will miss the first Test - beginning on Monday - after failing to recover from a hamstring injury suffered in August playing in The Hundred.

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England cricket Test captain Ben Stokes has agreed a fresh two-year central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The agreement comes as his current single-year deal runs down. In 2023, he was offered a three-year deal as part of the ECB’s decision to start signing players up on central contracts that were longer than 12 months.
Stokes turned down that offer in favour of negotiating another 12-month deal, but has now agreed to a further two years.
The contract will run until 2026, including the Ashes tour in Australia next winter.
When the multi-year deals were first offered last year, 18 players signed up, as the ECB attempted to keep players away from lucrative franchise leagues.
A handful of players matched Stokes’ decision to sign on for just 12 months, and are now out of contract, with the ECB currently in negotiations with some players to sign new deals or extend their current contracts.
Stokes is part of the England squad that is taking part in the Test series in Pakistan, with the first match to begin on Monday.
However, the 33-year-old all-rounder will at the very least miss the first of three Tests scheduled.
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Stokes suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers against the Manchester Originals in The Hundred tournament in August.
He remains in contention for the final two Tests, with the second starting on October 15 and the third on October 24.

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