The power and influence of Kevin Pietersen will be revealed today when Michael Vaughan, his predecessor and a great friend, is awarded a central contract. Vaughan will be one of 12 full contracts announced by the ECB, which will also, in a departure from the past, award so-called “increment contracts” for seven players who will be paid primarily by their counties, but who will also receive a top-up fee from the ECB, enabling the England set-up to retain an element of control.

It is Vaughan's contract that will provoke most comment. Since returning to the first-class game with Yorkshire last month with a point to prove and a stated desire to score runs to cement his winter place with England, his form has been poor. Because of that, this contract could be seen as a golden handshake, a thank-you for past glories and a sentimental gift. But Vaughan is regarded by those who count - and in particular by Pietersen - as a class act with the bat and a man of considerable influence in and around the dressing-room.

There are enough instances of former captains returning to something of their best form to suggest that Vaughan could do the same. This contract paves the way for his inclusion in the squad for the Test-match part of the tour to India that will be announced this month, and for the Caribbean in the new year. The chance to play in another Ashes-winning team, therefore, is within Vaughan's grasp, if he can rediscover the fluency and form that made him so successful before the demands of the captaincy took their toll.

Vaughan's inclusion in England's winter plans is also further reflection of the strength of character that Pietersen is bringing to the job. It would be easy for a new and insecure captain to be fearful of the presence of a predecessor with such a top-class pedigree. But as well as showing loyalty, Pietersen is convinced that Vaughan's knowhow and success against Australia can be an asset to him as he continues to bring his influence to bear.

The other beneficiary on the list of 12 will be Stuart Broad. His performances in one-day and Test cricket since the Test against New Zealand in Wellington last winter suggest a player of considerable talent and promise. His elevation to full-contract status will come at the expense of Matthew Hoggard, who made way for Broad in Wellington and whose international career must be referred to in the past tense. Hoggard has been a fine servant, but his rapid fall, in contrast to the olive branch offered to Vaughan, highlights how much more brutal a game this is for bowlers.

The seven incremental contracts represent a departure in policy, but they also reflect the frustration felt in the past that financial considerations have resulted in too small a squad coming under the control of the England head coach. These contracts, which are likely to go to emerging and fringe players such as Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara, will be seen as a stepping stone to a full contract, the value of which could vary between £200,000 and £400,000. An increment contract will award a number of points for one-day internationals and Test matches and when a certain level has been reached, these players will qualify for full-contract status.

A squad of 15 will also be revealed for the Stanford Super Series match on November 1 and for the seven one-day internationals in India. The squad that thrashed South Africa 4-0 will be rewarded and there will be no room for Twenty20 “specialists”. England's previous Twenty20 squad was the same as the squad for the subsequent one-day internationals against South Africa and the selectors will not change policy just because there is an added $20million (about £11.4million) at stake.

When England competed in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last year they did so with a number of “specialists”, such as Darren Maddy and Chris Schofield. That policy has been shelved, which will come as a blow to the legion of players who had Twenty20 success at domestic level this year and who might have hoped to be part of the dash for Allen Stanford's cash.