England newcomer Jacob Bethell received a double dose of good news on Wednesday as he retained his place for the second Test against New Zealand and secured a two-year central contract.

Bethell made an unexpected Test debut in last week’s series-opening win in Christchurch, stepping in after Jordan Cox broke a thumb in practice. He ended the match with an impressive, unbeaten 50 at number three.

England have chosen to stick with a winning formula for the follow-up in Wellington, meaning Ollie Pope’s temporary stint as stand-in wicketkeeper continues despite the arrival of Durham’s Ollie Robinson as specialist cover.

In addition to securing his spot for the next few days, 21-year-old Bethell has also convinced the England and Wales Cricket Board to secure his longer-term future.

Less than six weeks after announcing a new raft of player deals, the ECB has upgraded Bethell from a low-key developmental contract to a more lucrative retainer that runs until October 2026.

Breakout pace prospect Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Jofra Archer, who hopes to make his long-awaited Test comeback next year, have also had their terms upgraded from one year to two.

Captain Ben Stokes explained his decision to keep faith with the XI that produced a comprehensive eight-wicket success at Hagley Oval, saying: “There was a conversation (about Robinson coming in) but we’ve looked back at that game and the whole team set-up and makeup looked really good.

“We like the whole makeup of the team and I think everyone who played last week put in a performance at some point that helped us win. We had all bases covered from a bowling point of view and our batting line-up was really deep with Brydon coming in at 10.

“Popey did an amazing job behind the stumps last week that was unnoticed and I thought he played an important role down at number six. We were really happy with that performance so let’s go and build on it.”

The inclusion of Archer’s name in the list of new contract extensions is significant, considering his previous agreement would have expired before England’s Ashes tour next winter.

The bowler, long considered as a potential game-changer Down Under, has been plagued by persistent injury issues throughout his red-ball career, but is now fully committed.

Stokes revealed that the 29-year-old, who has been cautiously reintegrated into the limited-overs setup following ongoing back and elbow problems, is beginning to contemplate his return to long-form cricket.

England are set to play a high-profile series against India next summer, as well as a one-off match against Zimbabwe in May. Archer will be unavailable for the latter due to his selection by Rajasthan Royals in the recent IPL auction, but Stokes suggests the idea has crossed his mind.

“Jof is a man of few words, even over WhatsApp. I had one a couple of months ago saying ‘Zimbabwe? ’. That shows he is very interested in playing Test cricket for England,” said Stokes.

“The excitement is understandable around Jofra. The best thing is he is back on the field playing. I am sure he thought he might not have the chance to put on an England shirt again – the injuries and surgeries he has gone through could have ended other people’s career – so there is no rushing back.”

“He is being handled very well by the ECB and that will certainly continue. There is no doubt he is going so well at the moment it is a case of having to build the body up to handle extra pressure of Test match cricket.”