England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow has lost his Test central contract but Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley have been added to the red-ball retainer list announced by cricket chiefs on Wednesday.
The move by the England and Wales Cricket Board was not unexpected as Bairstow, 31, has played just one of the past 12 Test matches since the 2019 Ashes.
The World Cup winner has been handed a specialist limited-overs deal, with Pope, Crawley and Sibley all promoted after scoring their maiden Test centuries over the past year.
England managing director Ashley Giles said he hoped Bairstow, who has played 70 Tests, scoring six centuries, would stay hungry to play a role in English Test cricket.
“It’s a knock for him, I’m sure,” he said. “Jonny’s played one Test match in a year. We only have so many contracts that we award and it’s a tough call to make because…