Jason Roy will ‘never walk away from England’ after ending his ECB deal to play franchise cricket
‘I will never walk away from England’: Jason Roy insists he will still be available for national selection after ending his central contract with the ECB to sign a lucrative deal to play Major League Cricket in the United States to play
- Roy’s deal with the Los Angeles Knight Riders is worth £300,000 over two years
- Big hitter wants to continue the deal despite danger of a place in England
- Roy lost his T20 World Cup place last year, but remains in the 50-over fold
Jason Roy confirmed on Thursday that he has terminated his central contract with the ECB to sign a lucrative deal to play Major League Cricket in the United States this summer.
Mail Sport revealed earlier today that the World Cup-winning lead-off batsman had informed the ECB that he would take up the offer of a two-year £300,000 deal from the Los Angeles Knight Riders rather than his incremental contract, which is due to valued at £60,000 per annum and expires in October.
Roy is the first England player to walk away from a central contract to pursue alternative ambitions with a Twenty20 franchise, but he has made it clear he still wants to play for his country and is aiming for the 50-over World Cup of this fall in India.
As Major League Cricket clashes with County Championship and T20 Blast matches in July, the ECB was only willing to grant him the certificate of no objection needed to play if they canceled his deal with them.
“To be very clear, my priority is English cricket, especially with a World Cup just around the corner,” Roy wrote on Twitter. “It is the greatest honor for me, and for every other player, to get a cap to play for their country. I wanted to clarify that I am not and will never leave England.’
Jason Roy intends to cancel his England central contract to sign a lucrative two-year deal with new Major League Cricket franchise Los Angeles Knight Riders
Roy has regularly been at the top of the league for England in 50-over cricket
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 last summer he lost his place in the side and was left out of the squad for the Twenty20 World Cup last autumn, which England also won.
However, the 32-year-old was called back to the 50-over squad after the short World Cup and played nine one-day internationals against Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh last winter.
The ECB has assured Roy’s decision will not affect his chances of World Cup selection, although that claim will be severely tested in the coming months as they will be wary of setting a precedent that other could encourage players to leave domestic cricket for franchise. tournaments abroad.
England teammates Alex Hales, David Willey and Reece Topley are all said to have similar offers from Major League Cricket franchises, though none have signed up yet.
Roy played a key role as England won the 50-over World Cup in 2019
He played for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the last Indian Premier League
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 Indian Premier League.
Mail Sport revealed 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, which kicks off in Texas this summer, poses a particular threat to English cricket due to scheduling, with Mail Sport revealing 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 just £125,000 in the Hundred.