New Delhi, April 1: Cricket Australia has released its central contracts for the 2026-27 season. Jake Weatherald has retained his contract, while Jhye Richardson and Glenn Maxwell have been dropped.
Michael Neser has been rewarded for his outstanding performance in the Ashes by being included in the central contract list. Alongside Neser, Brendan Doggett and off-spinner Todd Murphy have also secured spots.
Weatherald had a commendable run opening the innings with Travis Head during the Ashes and is expected to be given more opportunities as an opener by Cricket Australia. He has also shown impressive form playing for Tasmania in domestic cricket.
Jhye Richardson, along with retired Usman Khawaja, young batsman Sam Constas, Lance Morris, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, and Matt Short, has had his contract terminated.
Richardson’s exclusion is particularly noteworthy, as he made a comeback to the Test team after a long rehabilitation following shoulder surgery, playing against England in Melbourne. However, he is likely to return to play later this year.
Morris, a teammate of Richardson in the Western Australia team, has also had his contract end due to a stress fracture in his back and subsequent surgery since last August. Constas’s contract was not extended after he was dropped from the Test team following the West Indies tour last year. Matt Renshaw also did not make the cut.
Maxwell’s exclusion was expected, as he now plays in only one format.
Cricket Australia’s chief selector, George Bailey, stated, “The contract list aims to balance performance over time, considering the upcoming schedule. In the next 12 months, we have series against South Africa, India, and England, each with different weather conditions, along with domestic series.”
He added, “We know we will need players beyond those on contracts, and we will utilize them as well.”
The selectors have awarded only 21 of the 24 available contracts (down from 23 last year), with a greater focus on Test cricket. This comes at a time when the concern is to ensure that high payments to major players do not diminish interest in franchise cricket.
The players included in Cricket Australia’s central contracts for the 2026-27 season are: Javier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Brendan Doggett, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, and Adam Zampa.