Jason Roy ends contract with England to play in Major League Cricket in the United States

Opener Jason Roy has become the first England player to end his contract with the national team to seek opportunities in franchise cricket.

In lieu of his ECB contract of £60,000-£70,000, he will earn £150,000 in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the United States.

Despite the move, Roy will still be available for the national team, but pay as you play.

Roy, 32, said: “To be very clear, my priority is England cricket, especially with a World Cup around the corner.”

Writing on social media, he added: “It is for me, and for any player, the greatest honor to receive a cap to play for your country.

“I wanted to clarify that I am not and will never leave England.”

He is the first England player to have his central contract terminated in order to pursue franchise opportunities.

A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said: “Jason Roy has informed the England and Wales Cricket Board that he wishes to sign an agreement with Major League Cricket in the US. .later this summer.

“The ECB has agreed for him to play in the competition on the condition that he waives the remainder of his incremental contract with the ECB, which both parties have agreed to.

“The ECB would like to clarify that this decision will not affect Jason’s selection for England teams in future. We have absolute confidence and faith that Jason is committed to England cricket.”

Roy has been a key component of England’s dominance of the global game of white ball, a regular in the team that were crowned over-50 world champions in 2019.

However, a loss of form left him out of the team that won the T20 World Cup last year and, in October, he saw his central contract downgraded to an incremental deal, worth between £60,000-70,000.

With Major League Cricket taking place between the T20 Blast and The Hundred, England could have ordered Roy to rest, especially with the 50+ World Cup defense on the horizon in India in October and November.

Instead, Roy will end his England contract, forgo the remainder of his salary until it expires at the end of September, and earn up to £150,000 for a season in the US.

“Representing my country remains my proudest moment as a professional cricketer,” added Roy.

“I hope to play for England for many more years. That remains my priority.

“I have had clear and supportive discussions with the ECB about participation in Major League Cricket. The ECB was happy with me to play in the competition as long as they did not have to pay me for the remainder of the contract year.”

“As a single format player with no central contract, I wanted to take the opportunity to play this competition as there are currently no scheduling conflicts with England. As an England player, it benefits me to play the most competitive cricket possible.”

Writing on Twitter, former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote: “I don’t understand Jason Roy’s big problem. He doesn’t have any England games and they offered him a good contract in the US so he took it. It’s unavoidable.” that we will see more of this in the future. And I don’t have a problem with that.”

Although there is some overlap with the Blast, it is understood that Roy will remain in his home county of Surrey if they make it to final day, before returning to play for Oval Invincibles at The Hundred in August.

Roy has played five tests, 116 one-day caps and 64 T20s for England, scoring nearly 6,000 international runs.

His decision is the latest in a rapidly changing landscape of global cricket, with money being offered to players in franchise leagues challenging the primacy of international matches.

In response, England is ready to revamp its core contract system, with more flexibility and possibly more money on offer.

Some players may be offered multi-year deals to guard against the pull of franchise leagues.

White ball specialists could be offered small retention contracts but higher match fees, to make tours of England more financially attractive than a season playing in a league.