Snubbed: Durham opener Alex Lees’ England Test career could already be over
(Picture: Getty Images)England Test opener Alex Lees has been overlooked for a central contract in the latest round of deals.
30 players have been offered contracts, including fast bowler Jofra Archer, despite him not having played for more than a year through injury.
Jason Roy and Dawid Malan have been both dropped a tier to incremental contracts, while there are first-time deals for Ben Foakes and Liam Livingstone.
Durham opener Lees is a noticeable absentee after a disappointing spell at the top of the order of Brendon McCullum’s Test side in recent months.
The ECB have kept faith with Archer, despite him having undergone two operations on his right elbow before a lower-back stress fracture meant a further period on the sidelines just as he was set for a return to domestic cricket.
Test wicketkeeper Foakes has established himself in England’s new-look Test side since taking over the gloves from Jos Buttler. He is one of 18 players to get a full-time contract for the next 12 months. Livingstone is also offered a full-time contract for the first time.
Eoin Morgan is dropped from funding following his retirement from international cricket, while Rory Burns is deemed surplus to requirements, having fallen out of favour in the international set-up.
Roy, meanwhile, was overlooked for England’s squad for the T20 World Cup and has now been dropped to an incremental deal, along with Malan, despite the latter being a first-choice selection in Matthew Mott’s T20 side in Australia.
The players in England’s squad Down Under without any deal are bowler Chris Jordan and opening batsmen Alex Hales and Phil Salt, who had been vying for a place in the top order alongside Buttler in Australia.
