Archer rewarded for super summer with lucrative retainer
LONDON, England (CMC) — England’s Barbadian fast-bowling sensation Jofra Archer has been awarded his first-ever retainer by the England and Wales County Board (ECB), with speculation rife the value of the contract could top one million pounds sterling.
The 24-year-old Archer was on Friday named among six players handed all-formats contracts, meaning he will play Test, One-Day and Twenty20 (T20) Internationals.
Batsmen Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Joe Root, along with all-rounder Ben Stokes and fast bowler Chris Woakes, are the other players on all-formats contracts.
Archer, who only qualified to represent England in March this year before making his debut in May, has been rewarded for outstanding performances which helped England win the World Cup in July and draw the Ashes last week.
He was his side’s leading wicket-taker in the World Cup with 20 wickets and also bowled a dramatic Super-Over in the final against New Zealand at Lord’s.
Called up for his red-ball debut, Archer made an instant impact in the second Test at Lord’s, bowling with troubling pace. He struck world number one batsman Steve Smith, ruling him out of the second innings with a concussion and putting him out of the third Test at Headingley.
Archer went on to take 22 wickets in the series, including two six-wicket hauls.
“I think Jofra is capable of everything,” said England’s director of cricket, Ashley Giles.
“His dad told me he thought he would hit 100 miles per ourh next year. We have to look after him. It’s not easy to bowl that pace consistently.
“We have talked about resting a number of people in the T20 series in New Zealand. That will allow us to focus more on youngsters and put more focus on the Test series.”
Test contracts are worth as much as £650,000 a year, while white-ball contracts are valued up to £275,000, and are set to be aligned closely to the ECB’s new billion-dollar broadcast deal which will run from 2020 to 2024.
While salaries are determined based on players’ seniority, it is anticipated that once bonuses and appearance fees are added, players like Archer with all-formats retainers could see their deals top the million-pound mark.
Overall, 22 players have been awarded retainers for the upcoming 12-month period.
