Jason Roy, a great batsman for England, has decided to cancel his contract with England so that he may participate in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the United States.
The aggressive opener has only recently returned from a stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, and it has been rumored that the Los Angeles Knight Riders, the connected Major League Cricket team of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has made him an offer.
It is believed that the 32-year-old has been given a salary of about £300,000 ($370,000) for the first two seasons of the new Twenty20 league in the United States, which begins in July.
During the course of the previous year, Roy was demoted off England’s primary contract list and given an incremental agreement with a value of between £60,000 and £70,000.
In a statement released on Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that it had reached an agreement with Roy to allow him to play cricket in the United States “on the proviso that he gives up the remainder of his ECB incremental contract, which both parties have agreed to.”
“The ECB wish to clarify that this decision will not affect Jason’s selection for England teams going forward,” the statement said. “The ECB regrets any inconvenience this may cause.” We have the utmost faith and confidence that Jason will continue to dedicate himself to the England cricket team.
The aggressive opener did not participate in England’s victory at the Twenty20 World Cup in October and November, but he has maintained his spot in the 50-over side and is hoping to play a role in the country’s defense of the 50-over World Cup in India this year.
The footballer for Surrey declared in a statement that he would never leave England and that the declaration was posted on Twitter.
“Representing my country continues to be the proudest moment of my career as a professional cricketer,” said Roy, who has scored almost 6,000 international runs across all formats of the game. Roy is a very accomplished player.
“Playing for England is still my top priority, and I hope to do so for a long time to come,” he said.
He continued by saying, “As a single format player who does not have a central contract, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to play in this competition as there are currently no scheduling conflicts with England.” As a player for England, it is to my advantage to participate in as many competitive cricket matches as I can.
Huge payments are being offered to elite players in franchise leagues all over the world, and this is contributing to the rapid restructuring that is taking place in the world of cricket.
The organizers of Major League Cricket have stated that “six new teams and a new sport coming at the world-class level to the United States” will be introduced.
Other players, including Australian superstars Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Marsh, as well as the former captain of South Africa and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, have also agreed to participate.