Imran Khwaja will continue as the ICC's deputy chair after he was reappointed for another tenure. His new stint will begin on December 1, 2024, the day BCCI secretary Jay Shah begins his tenure as ICC chair.

Khwaja, who was first elected to the ICC Board in 2008, has been the deputy chair since 2017. In that time, he has also held the position of interim chair, stepping in after Shashank Manohar's term ended in July 2020. Later that year, Khwaja contested a leadership election for the top post against Greg Barclay, the latter winning after two rounds of voting were needed.

In July this year, at the ICC annual general meeting in Colombo, Khwaja was re-elected as one of three Associate member directors to sit on the ICC Board.

In August this year, Shah was appointed chairperson unopposed, replacing Barclay, served two of his three terms. At 35, Shah is the youngest to have been the head of the ICC and was also the fifth Indian to hold the position, after Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan and Manohar.

Smith, 24, was one of the breakout stars of England's home Test summer, scoring a maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford, before being named as the PCA's Young Player of the Year at their annual end-of-season awards dinner.

Though his opportunities in white-ball cricket have so far been limited by his workload, Smith showed glimpses of his potential in the recent home ODI series against Australia, and though he is due to miss the Test tour of New Zealand as he goes on paternity leave, he looks set to be a central figure in England's plans for their white-ball tour of India in January and the subsequent Champions Trophy.

Buttler's deal, meanwhile, is a show of faith in England's white-ball captain despite an absence from professional cricket that has now extended to five months as he recovers from a persistent calf injury. It comes on the same day that his long association with Rajasthan Royals was ended by his omission from their list of retained players for the 2025 IPL.

In addition to Smith, four other players have signed their first central contracts: Shoaib Bashir, Phil Salt, Olly Stone and Will Jacks, who was the notable omission from England's plans last time around. Three further players have been handed development contracts, including two new additions in Jacob Bethell and Josh Hull, and John Turner, the fast bowler who could make his England debut in the Caribbean this week.

Seven players have been cut from England's list for 2024-35, including Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan and James Anderson, who have retired from international cricket, and the fast bowlers Matthew Fisher and Saqib Mahmood, who had been on development contracts after making their Test debuts in the Caribbean in 2022.

The most notable absentees, however, are Ollie Robinson and Ben Foakes, the Test wicketkeeper who made way for his Surrey team-mate Smith in the summer. Both men last featured on the tour of India in February, and their hopes of a recall in the current regime would now appear to be over.

"The strength and depth of talent across England Men's red and white-ball cricket is clear in the quality of players who are centrally contracted," Rob Key, England men's managing director, said. "These contracts reward the players we believe will play an important role for our England Men's teams. Both our captains, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, have signed two-year central contracts that showcase the commitment of all the players to prioritise playing for their country.

"I want to congratulate all the players who have signed new central contracts ahead of what is set to be an exciting period for England Men's cricket."

Pooran was an "automatic choice" as the team's top retention and the decision to keep him took "two minutes" according to Goenka. "We had a very simple mindset to go in with players who have a mindset to win, who put the team before their personal goals and aspirations," he said. "And we wanted to retain as much core as possible within our available purse. We had a strong bowling unit, that's why we went with three bowlers [Bishnoi, Mayank and Mohsin] from the previous season and all Indians. Pooran was a no-brainer. Ayush [Badoni] has done well for us at No. 6 and No. 7."

While Rahul was LSG's top-scorer in IPL 2024 with 520 runs at a strike rate of 136, Pooran's 499 runs came at a strike rate of 178.

Mayank made his IPL debut in 2024 but played only four matches before he was ruled out by injury. He made a strong impression in that time with his 150kph speeds and picked up two Player of the Match awards.

Mohsin and Bishnoi picked up only 10 wickets apiece in IPL 2024, while Badoni scored only 235 runs in the lower-middle order. But with Mohsin only 26 years old, and Bishnoi and Badoni both 24, LSG view them as long-term prospects.

With five players retained, including two uncapped players, at a total cost of INR 51 crore, LSG have INR 69 crore remaining to spend at the mega auction. They have one right-to-match option to use if they want to buy back one of their capped players.

It is understood that Bumrah doesn't have an injury, and it's not known yet if the team management wanted to rest him or Bumrah himself wanted to be rested.

"I think he [Bumrah] is just done his preparations," Gambhir said on Thursday, "I think we know how the weather is in Mumbai, so obviously he needs to conserve his energy as well. So he's done his bowling, he's prepared really well, and he's fine. That's why he's a senior player, he knows how much he needs to prepare for the Test match."

"In the two Test matches that he's bowled [against New Zealand] around 20-25 overs. So he hasn't bowled a lot," Nayar said on Wednesday. "Yes, there will always be a thought process about his workload. Also we played two games that we've not had five-day cricket, it's more three, three-and-a-half. So he's got ample rest. But Booms is very important to us and his workload will always be something on our mind."

Fast bowlers are unlikely to get a lot of assistance from the Mumbai pitch that has been prepared. The red soil should ensure there is good bounce and the early-morning moisture combined with the new ball might provide a small window for them to do a little damage, but largely it is the spinners to whom both teams will be turning to. India have already gone down 2-0, their first series defeat at home in 12 years, making the Test something of a dead rubber, although there are WTC points at stake. India are on top of the WTC table and fighting for a spot in the final at Lord's in June 2025.