 Anderson and Harmison are delighted with their contracts |
James Anderson and Steve Harmison have been handed central contracts by England. The fast bowlers are the only players to be offered the short-term deals by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
The pair join nine other players, who were all given 12-month contracts which finish on 30 September, under England's employment.
It now means their appearances for Lancashire and Durham respectively will now be only at the approval of England coach Duncan Fletcher.
 The challenge for me now is to try and win a regular place in the Test side and carry on from where I left off in the winter |
David Graveney, chairman of selectors, said: "Both James and Stephen have shown their potential during the winter and I'm sure will go on to have long and successful international careers.
"For both cricketing and financial reasons, the selectors have only made two additions to the nine players already contracted up to this autumn. "
The ECB has the power to award 20 contracts but it has decided on only two more because it is suffering severe financial restrictions.
ENGLAND CREDENTIALS Anderson: Took 10 wickets in World Cup Harmison: Best bowling in a Test, 3-57 |
This is because of the compensation claims which are likely to follow England's decision not to play their World Cup match in Zimbabwe in February.
Anderson was England's leading wicket-taker at the World Cup with 10 wickets.
The 20-year-old said: "It's great news and I'm really thrilled to have got a contract for the summer.
"The challenge for me now is to try and win a regular place in the Test side and carry on from where I left off in the winter.
"There's a great deal of expectation about me at the moment, but I'm just trying to stay focused on my cricket and not get too carried away by all the publicity.
I feel that I learned a lot from being involved last winter |
"I'm still new to professional cricket, still learning about the game and I just want to try and get better and show that I can perform consistently at the highest level.
Harmison played four Tests last winter against Australia.
The 24-year-old said: "It doesn't come tougher than an Ashes Series in Australia and I feel that I learned a lot from being involved last winter.
"Hopefully, the experience has made me a better cricketer and I can build on it this summer.
MMIX
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