Jonny Bairstow: England batsman loses Test central contract for 2020-21

Jonny BairstowGetty Images

Bairstow made his England debut in a one-day international in 2011, and his Test debut the following year

Wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow has not been given an England central contract for Test cricket in 2020-21.

Yorkshire's Bairstow, 31, who was not selected for the summer's Test series with West Indies and Pakistan, remains contracted for limited-overs cricket.

Batsmen Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Dom Sibley all receive a Test central contract for the first time.

All-rounder Tom Curran has been given a white-ball contract, while Kent batsman Joe Denly misses out altogether.

Denly had previously held a limited-overs contract.

Meanwhile, spinner Dom Bess, seamer Chris Jordan and batsman Dawid Malan - previously uncontracted - will receive incremental deals.

The contracts, handed to a total of 23 players, start on 1 October and run for 12 months.

England director of men's cricket Ashley Giles said missing out on a Test contract was a "knock" for Bairstow but that he still has "a really important part to play in the future of English Test cricket".

"It's a tough call to make because Jonny has been a very good servant for the team," said Giles.

"He's taken it as well as you can expect - it's hard news to hear for someone who has played so much cricket for England across all forms but he was absolutely fine and he does truly still have a desire to play Test cricket.

"He's one of our most dangerous players in white-ball cricket and we'll do everything we can to support him getting back into the Test team."

Players on the Test and white-ball contracts will have their salaries, which are calculated by a ranking system based on performance, fitness and other factors, paid in full by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

However, the ECB says there could be an impact on how much players are paid as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with levels of remuneration currently being finalised.

'Bairstow omission was inevitable' - analysis

Jonathan Agnew, BBC cricket correspondent

This announcement comes with the backdrop of a £1m deficit and the likelihood of the same shortfall next year.

And while the ECB has recognised that it must reduce its staff by 20% - that's 62 jobs- the playing side remains unaffected.

Having lost his Test place and now arguably the third-choice wicketkeeper behind Jos Buttler and Ben Foakes it was inevitable that Bairstow should lose his Test central contract, with Crawley, Pope and Sibley all attaining that status for the first time.

Test and white-ball contracts: Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Test contracts: James Anderson (Lancashire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire)

White-ball contracts: Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Tom Curran (Surrey), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Mark Wood (Durham)

Incremental contracts: Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire)

Pace bowling developmental contracts: Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Olly Stone (Warwickshire)