Australia is arguably the most successful cricketing team in the world. They have won the 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup a record six times, including a hat-trick from 1999 to 2007, and they have won the T20 World Cup in 2021. The Men in Yellow have also bagged the ICC Champions Trophy two times (2006 and 2009).
Apart from the white-ball glories, the Aussies have also been the boss in the Test format. In short, Australia can be termed cricket’s heavyweight.
The relatively small yet sporting country has produced some of the finest cricketers and has consistently been the side to beat since the commencement of international cricket. Across different generations, the Aussies have, time and again, built a side that has topped the ranking charts courtesy of some individual and collective brilliance.
And these individuals get rewarded for their brilliant performances by Cricket Australia (CA). The national board hands out some hefty contracts to its players every year.
Here we’ll look at Australia’s central contract list for 2025-26.
Australia’s Centrally Contracted Players List | 2025-26
Cricket Australia announced 23 members who were awarded central contracts for the year from March 2025, leading up to February 2026.
CA Centrally Contracted Players
Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster, Adam Zampa
According to the CA structure, a player not in this list will be added, or an existing player can be upgraded in the contract, courtesy of the number of games he represents the country in that calendar year across the three formats.
For instance, if a player plays a Test match, he shall be awarded five points, while playing ODI and T20I format is worth two and one point, respectively. When a player who is not on the list accumulates 12 points in one year, then he will upgrade/be eligible to enter the list.
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Australian Cricketers’ Salary
Pat Cummins, Australia’s Test and ODI captain, is topping the list of highest contractual earners in Australian cricket. The pacer earns AUD 2 million, which amounts to 11 crore in INR, and this includes a bonus of $200K, which he is entitled to earn as the captain of the national team.
The other top earners when it comes to the Australian cricket team are Josh Hazlewood, who netted $1.6 million in AUD. Pacer Mitchell Starc, vice-captain Steven Smith, and star batter Marnus Labuschagne get AUD 1.4 million, $1.3 million, and $1.2 million each.
Apart from this, a player named in the national squad earns match fees depending on which format they play. If the player is named in the Australian Test squad, they will receive a match fee of AUD 20,000. And the cricketers featured in the ODI and T20I squads get match fees of $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
The players also earn through promotions, playing in BBL and franchise cricket worldwide, and advertisements.
Here are the top earners in Australian cricket in the annual contract offered by CA and their respective match fees:
| Player Name | Retainer Fees | Test Fees | ODI Fees | T20I Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Cummins | $2 million | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Josh Hazlewood | $1.6 million | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Mitchell Starc | $1.4 million | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Steve Smith | $1.3 million | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | $1.2 million | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
| Nathan Lyon | $1.1 million | $20,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
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