Graphic: England's million dollar men

Geoff Miller, England's national selector, must have felt like a 17th-century absolute monarch at Lord's yesterday, doling out largesse the extent of which would have been beyond the dreams of previous courtiers. A dozen 12-month contracts were awarded, although the irony was lost on no one that their value for an estimated 90 days' work did not match up to the potential rewards on offer to those 15 who, over the course of three frenzied hours in Antigua on November 1, will strain every sinew in an attempt to relieve Allen Stanford of $13 million (about £7.4 million).

As The Times revealed yesterday, Michael Vaughan retains his 12-month contract, Matthew Hoggard loses his to Stuart Broad, “increment” contracts (essentially a lower-grade central contract) have been awarded to seven fringe players, most of whom have been part of England's one-day but not Test plans, and there is no place in the 15-man one-day squad for any of the so-called domestic Twenty20 specialists. The 4-0 series victory against South Africa was worth more than the players may have imagined, especially now that the dollar is strengthening by the minute.

It was a red-letter day for the nine players who were awarded a full contract plus a shot at Stanford's motza. Three contracted players - Vaughan, Andrew Strauss and Monty Panesar - miss out on the one-day wedge and the other six in the one-day squad (Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann and Luke Wright) are given increment contracts. Tim Ambrose is the seventh, but for the second year running no wicketkeeper has a full contract, reflecting the continuing uncertainty over the role. It would be a surprise if Prior was not given the opportunity again to unite the roles this winter.

Time was when an end-of-season announcement about touring squads would have focused on Test cricket, but the shift in emphasis yesterday was unmistakable. Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, did admit that the ECB is looking at the value of Test match bonuses in an attempt to maintain the primacy of Test cricket, but the rhetoric rarely manages to match the reality.

He also admitted that the ECB and the Professional Cricketers' Association are close to agreeing documentation on how and when England players would be allowed to participate in the Indian Premier League.

As Morris said, the whole reason behind the decision to award increment contracts was an attempt to prioritise one-day cricket. “One of the key recommendations of the Schofield report was that one-day cricket in this country lacked priority,” he said. “We feel that we have made really good strides in one-day cricket over the last 12 months, culminating in the victory over South Africa. You'll see that the vast majority of these players getting incremental contracts are one-day specialists. This will help us raise the profile of one-day cricket in this country and help us prepare for a busy year ahead when we have two ICC global one-day tournaments.”

To rebuff accusations of a closed shop, Morris revealed that points are to be awarded for those who play for England but are not in possession of a contract. Five points will be awarded for a Test match and two for a Twenty20 or one-day appearance, with an increment contract being awarded automatically once a player reaches 20 points during a 12-month period. It is all a far cry from the days when an invitation came through the post from the chairman of selectors.

There were winners galore yesterday, principally Vaughan, who must wait a while before he embarks upon the next stage of his life, Stephen Harmison, who is fully rehabilitated, and Broad. Miller suggested that Vaughan remains an integral part of England's plans, that his form worries are of a temporary nature and that, in his judgment, Vaughan's strength of character would see him through.

When asked about the captain's input, Miller went into Lionel Shriver mode, indicating that they had not so much talked about Kevin Pietersen but to him. “He said he would very much like Michael in his side,” Miller said.

Harmison has said that he has been hurt by suggestions that the decision to rescind his one-day retirement is money-driven. Miller admitted that the Durham fast bowler, wary of this assumption, initially told the selectors that he did not want to be considered for the Antigua pay day. But he can clasp hands with Mr Stanford without embarrassment: he was asked to play against South Africa and he is a professional cricketer. End of story.

There was only one loser yesterday. Poor Hoggy.