In the latest Cricket Australia central contracts for 2024-25, Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar have lost their contracts despite being in contention for the upcoming T20 World Cup. On the other hand, fast bowler Xavier Bartlett has been awarded a contract for the first time after his recent entry into international cricket.
Players added to the 23-player list include Aaron Hardie, Matthew Short, and Nathan Ellis. Jhye Richardson retains his spot despite limited international cricket due to injuries. However, Michael Neser and Marcus Harris have dropped off the list for not playing any Test cricket in the last contract period.
The omission of Stoinis and Agar is significant considering their potential involvement in Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign. Tim David, another player likely to be part of the World Cup, is also not on the contract list. However, the T20 World Cup falls under the previous contracting period.
The new contracts come into effect on July 1. Australia’s focus for the 2024-25 contract year includes seven Tests against India and Sri Lanka, aiming to qualify for the 2025 World Test Championship final and the ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Chair of selectors George Bailey highlighted the promising future of Bartlett, Hardie, and Short, stating that their performances and impact on the international stage have been impressive. The selection panel believes they deserve their contracts as they strive to become regulars in the Australian setup.
The contract list changes include Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Matt Short, and Aaron Hardie being added, while Michael Neser, Marcus Harris, David Warner, Ashton Agar, and Marcus Stoinis are out. Extensions were not retained for Matthew Wade, Tim David, Tanveer Sangha, Jason Behrendorff, and Spencer Johnson. Players not contracted for 2024-25 still have the opportunity to qualify for upgrades based on their performances.
David Warner has also been removed from the contract list after announcing his retirement from international cricket following the T20 World Cup in June.
Australia Men’s Contracts 2024-25:
Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
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