Jason Roy will leave England to play in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket in the United States in July.
Roy, 32, is the first England player to leave the national team in order to seek franchise prospects.
He will still be eligible to play for England, and his decision will have no bearing on his prospects of selection.
“To be clear, my priority is England cricket, especially with the World Cup coming up,” Roy stated.
“It is the greatest honour for me, and for any player, to receive a cap to play for their country,” he wrote on social media.
“I just wanted to make it clear that I am not leaving England and will never leave.”
“Jason Roy has informed the England and Wales Cricket Board that he wishes to enter into an agreement with Major League Cricket in the United States later this summer,” according to an ECB statement.
“The ECB has agreed to let him compete on the condition that he forego the remainder of his ECB incremental contract, which both parties have agreed to.”
“The ECB wishes to clarify that this decision will have no effect on Jason’s future selection for England teams.” We have complete faith and confidence in Jason’s commitment to England cricket.”
Roy has been a vital component of England’s global white-ball success, appearing regularly in the squad that was named 50-over world champions in 2019.
However, due to a lack of form, he was excluded from the squad that won the T20 World Cup last year, and his central contract was demoted to an incremental agreement earning between £60,000 and £70,000 in October.
With Major League Cricket taking place between the T20 Blast and The Hundred, England may have ordered Roy to rest, especially with the 50-over World Cup defense in India between October and November.
Instead, Roy will leave England, forego the remainder of his wage till it expires at the end of September, and earn up to £150,000 for a season in the United States.
“Representing my country continues to be my proudest moment as a professional cricketer,” Roy continued.
“I hope to play for England for many years to come.” That is still my first priority.
“I’ve had direct and encouraging discussions with the ECB about participating in Major League Cricket.” The ECB agreed to let me compete as long as they didn’t have to pay me for the rest of the contractual year.
“As a single-format player with no central contract, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that there are currently no scheduling conflicts with England.” As an England player, I gain from playing as much competitive cricket as possible.”
Though there will be some overlap with the Blast, Roy is expected to stay with his county Surrey until finals day, before returning to play for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred in August.
Roy has scored nearly 6,000 international runs in five Tests, 116 one-day internationals, and 64 T20s for England.
His decision is the latest in a rapidly shifting global cricket environment, with the money on offer to franchise league players challenging the supremacy of international contests.
In response, England is planning to reform their central contract structure, offering greater flexibility and maybe more money.
To counteract the allure of franchise leagues, some players may be awarded multi-year contracts.
To make England tours more financially appealing than a time playing in a league, white-ball specialists should be paid small retainer contracts but enhanced match fees.
