ECB to hand central contracts to Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer among the new list of seventeen players this year.
ECB to hand Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer full ECB central contracts for the first time. A group of seven players – including captain Heather Knight and senior allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, have been given two-year deals.
The only new players in the 17-man pool are Filer, England’s fastest bowler, and Gaur, a potential left-arm seamer who was on development contracts the previous season. Tash Farrant and Emma Lamb were removed from the 2023–24 list.
Ryana MacDonald-Gay, who made her ODI and T20I debut against Ireland in September, is one of three players who have been given development deals for the upcoming year. She is presently in South Africa in preparation for the one-off Test match at Bloemfontein, which begins on Sunday.
Clare Connor, England women’s managing director, said: “As ever, we have awarded central contracts to the players we feel will play a significant role for England in the foreseeable future.
“We are delighted that Mahika Gaur and Lauren Filer have transitioned on to full contracts, having been part of our group over the past year.
“Ryana MacDonald-Gay has had an outstanding year, and the development contract affords her the opportunity to continue to push her claim for selection. We look forward to working with all three players on development contracts and their Counties to ensure they continue their development.
“We have another significant period of cricket ahead and we believe this group of players have the skills to be successful in all conditions and formats which will be essential as we look forward to a two-year period that includes the Women’s Ashes in early 2025, multiple bilateral series, the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India, and a home ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in the summer of 2026.
“This is another landmark year in terms of increased remuneration for England Women. We have been able to make another significant increase in the value of central contracts on the back of last year’s equalisation of men’s and women’s international match fees across all formats. We continue to work positively with the England Women’s Player Partnership (EWPP) and the PCA and are grateful for both their support and challenge in these matters.”