Jason Roy to walk away from England contract to sign for Major League Cricket franchise

Jason Roy is about to cancel his central contract with the ECB to sign a lucrative deal to play Major League Cricket in the United States this summer.

The World Cup-winning lead-off batsman has been awarded a two-year contract worth around £300,000 by the Los Angeles Knight Riders, which he wants to pursue despite the risk of losing his place in the England squad for this year’s 50-over title defense in can endanger. in India.

Roy is currently contracted by the ECB on what is known as an incremental deal through October, giving the governing body some control over his schedule.

In a historic move, Roy would become the first England player to walk away from a central contract to pursue alternative aspirations with a Twenty20 franchise.

Roy was a mainstay of England’s white-ball revolution led by Eoin Morgan, who first won the 50-over World Cup at Lord’s four years ago, but lost his place in the squad last summer and was left out. left for the Twenty20 World Cup last autumn, which England won.

However, the 32-year-old was recalled to the 50-over squad after the short-form World Cup and played nine one-day internationals against Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh last winter, so he remains in contention to be named in Matthew Mott’s 50 -about World Cup selection this fall.

Roy has been in talks with the ECB for the past few weeks with an announcement about his future expected soon.

As Major League Cricket clashes with the County Championship and T20 Blast, it is clear that the ECB is only willing to grant Roy the certificate of no objection needed to play if they cancel his incremental deal.

While Roy retains ambitions to play for England, the security of the two-year offer he has received from LA Knight Riders is a major factor in his reasoning.

Mail Sport first revealed US interest in Roy, who would become the first England player to sign up for the new league which has already recruited other foreign stars such as Aaron Finch, Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje.

The ECB has informed Roy that his decision will not affect Mott’s selection plans or the next round of central contracts, which will be awarded in October.

With the Ashes starting next month, England will have no white ball games until the series against New Zealand and Ireland in August and September, after which Roy will be back in the country as he is also signed to play for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred.

Roy’s willingness to walk away from an ECB deal illustrates the threat to international cricket posed by the rise of T20 franchise leagues, fueled by the massive growth of the IPL.

Mail Sport revealed earlier this month that Mumbai Indians are preparing to offer Jofra Archer a 12-month contract that would take precedence over his ECB deal and Roy’s move reflects this trend as the LA Knight Riders are owned by his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders.

The inaugural Major League Cricket launching in Texas this summer poses a particular threat to English cricket due to scheduling, with Mail Sport revealing on Wednesday that the new competition will expand into August next year, leading to a clash with the Hundred.

Four of the six franchises in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas and Washington are owned by IPL teams offering salaries of up to £300,000, compared to a top rate of £125,000 in the Hundred.