By Cricket Australia(CA) have handed out central contracts to four new players for the 2024-25 season but have left out veteran allrounder Marcus Stoinis from their 23-man list. Xavier Bartlett, who has played just three games for Australia (all in 2024), is joined by Nathan Ellis, Matt Short and Aaron Hardie.
While Bartlett makes the cut for the first time, the other three players have effectively retained their spots. Even though they were not handed a contract at the start, they earned upgrades throughout the season having played games for Australia in ODIs and T20Is.
Considering the fact that the contract is effective post the T20 World Cup this year, David Warner doesn’t make the cut as he intends to bring the curtains down on his international career after the showpiece event. Stoinis, who had lost his spot in the ODI side during the World Cup last year, is in frame to play the T20 World Cup this year but has still not been handed a contract. Ashton Agar, Marcus Harris and Michael Neser are the other players left out from last year’s list.
CA Contracts 2024-25
Matt Renshaw, who was picked in the squads recently as the back-up batter after Warner’s Test retirement, has not made the cut as well apart from T20 specialist Tim David. However, Jhye Richardson has managed to retain his spot despite not turning out for Australia since June 2022 as a result of a frustrating spell on the sidelines with injuries.
CA contracted players 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
Additionally, the retention of seasoned campaigners like Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc reflects Cricket Australia’s commitment to maintaining a blend of experience and emerging talent in their squad for the upcoming season.
