Cricket Australia has today announced a list of 17 men's players to be offered national contracts for 2021-22.
The contracts are primarily assessed on player performances during the past 12 months and identify those whom the National Selection Panel believe will represent Australian teams over the year ahead.
Cricket Australia Contracted Men's Players List 2021-22
Ashton Agar (Western Australia)
Alex Carey (South Australia)
Pat Cummins (New South Wales)
Aaron Finch (Victoria)
Cameron Green (Western Australia)
Josh Hazlewood (New South Wales)
Marnus Labuschagne (Queensland)
Nathan Lyon (New South Wales)
Glenn Maxwell (Victoria)
Tim Paine (Tasmania)
James Pattinson (Victoria)
Jhye Richardson (Western Australia)
Kane Richardson (South Australia)
Steve Smith (New South Wales)
Mitchell Starc (New South Wales)
David Warner (New South Wales)
Adam Zampa (New South Wales)
National Selector Trevor Hohns said: "We have great confidence in the 17 players announced today as the Australian men's team enters a busy year of high-quality cricket across all three formats which features, among other highlights, an ICC Twenty20 World Cup in India and a home Ashes series.
"There are two main reasons behind the size of the contract list announced today.
"Firstly, we have seen format specialisation become increasingly prevalent in recent seasons which, accordingly, has resulted in a broader group of players representing Australia, often beyond the initial list of contracted players at the start of each year.
"Secondly, we want to create an environment where players strive for national selection through consistent domestic performances and earn national contracts through consistent international performances.
"There will continue to be opportunities and support for players outside this group to represent Australia and earn an upgrade to a central contract with strong performances throughout the year.
"But in naming these 17 players, we believe we have a strong core group which cover all forms of the game for the 12 months ahead."
West Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has been elevated to his first full contract after playing all four Tests against India last summer and leading all-comers in the Marsh Sheffield Shield with 922 runs at 76.83, including three centuries.
"Cameron is a player we believe will play an important role for Australian cricket after his impressive breakout summer," Hohns said.
"His 84 in the second-innings against India at the SCG demonstrated excellent technique and resolve and we are confident his bowling will be impactful at international level. His domestic form was also outstanding, and we expect he will only get better with more international exposure."
Joe Burns, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis (upgraded during the 2020-21 season) did not retain national contracts but will be afforded every opportunity to press for selection in Australian squads.
"There is a considerable amount of international cricket to be played across all formats in the next 12 months and the door to national selection is never closed to players outside this list," Hohns said.
"The NSP continues to hold Joe Burns, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis in high regard and expect that they, and many others across Australian Cricket, will continue to make strong cases for national selection next season."
Hohns said Australian men's teams were well placed for success across all three formats.
"We applaud the players for the professionalism and commitment they displayed in incredibly challenging circumstances last year, which involved hard quarantines and many months in bio-secure hubs," Hohns said.
"While the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was deservedly won by India, our players can nonetheless be proud of their efforts across all formats, which included a home ODI series win over India and an away win over England, the current World Champions.
"This is reflected in the ICC rankings. Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner are all ranked among the top ten Test batsmen, while Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are rated in the top ten Test bowlers.
"Add to this the white ball player rankings - Aaron Finch (ODI and T20I) and Glenn Maxwell (T20I) among the batsmen and Ashton Agar (T20I) and Adam Zampa (T20I) among the bowlers are all in the top 10 globally – and the strength of this contract list is evident.
"Competition for spots has always been a hallmark of strong Australian cricket teams and we are happy with the depth across all our disciplines entering next season. In the fast bowling ranks, Jhye Richardson is a player we believe has a big future across multiple formats and his return to the game has been strong.
"We are equally impressed with and optimistic about the form of fellow quicks James Pattinson and Kane Richardson. Nathan Lyon took on a huge workload in red ball cricket this summer and bowled impressively throughout, while Alex Carey has been excellent with both bat and gloves for Australia in white ball cricket.
"We are also fortunate to have two outstanding captains in Tim Paine and Aaron Finch, and we look forward to them once again leading their respective teams with pride over the next 12 months.
"In these next 12 months, Australian men's teams will compete for some of the biggest trophies on offer. The T20I World Cup is the one ICC trophy to elude Australia thus far and we are confident of a good showing in India.
The Ashes, of course, always stirs the passions of the Australian public, never more so than when Tim Paine's squad retained the urn in England less than two years ago.
"In addition, we are very much looking forward to our forthcoming white ball tour of the West Indies. The full home men's international schedule will be announced in the coming weeks."
