EXCLUSIVE: Jason Roy is expected to become the first England player to step down from an ECB central contract and sign a two-year, £300,000 deal with the Los Angeles Knight Riders in new US Major League cricket… despite risking his World Cup spot
- Roy’s contract with the Los Angeles Knight Riders is worth £300,000 over two years
- The powerful batsman wants to continue the deal even though his place in England is in jeopardy
- Roy lost his place in the T20 World Cup last year but remains in the 50-over group
Jason Roy is expected to give up his contract with the ECB in order to sign a lucrative deal to play major league cricket in the United States this summer.
The opening batsman, who won the World Cup, has been offered a two-year deal worth around £300,000 by the Los Angeles Knight Riders, which he is keen to continue despite risking his place in the England squad for this year’s 50-over title defense in India.
Roy is currently under contract at the ECB under what is known as a phased contract until October, giving the governing body some control over his schedule.
In a historic move, Roy became the first England player to give up his central contract to pursue alternative ambitions with a Twenty20 franchise.
Roy was a mainstay of England’s white-ball revolution under Eoin Morgan, which culminated in winning the 50-over World Cup at Lord’s four years ago but lost his place in the side last summer and was out for the season the squad was dropped from last autumn’s Twenty20 World Cup, which England eventually won.
Jason Roy plans to give up his England international contract to sign a lucrative two-year deal with new major league cricket franchise Los Angeles Knight Riders
Roy regularly tops the English team in 50-over cricket
However, the 32-year-old was named to the 50-over team after the Short-Form World Cup and earned nine one-day caps against Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh last winter, so he remains in contention for inclusion in Matthew Mott’s 50- Über World Cup squad this fall.
Roy has been in talks with the ECB for the past few weeks and is expecting an announcement on his future shortly.
With Major League Cricket colliding with the County Championship and the T20 Blast, it is understood that the ECB will only be willing to give Roy the clearance required to play if they terminate his ancillary contract.
While Roy still has ambitions to play for England, the security of the two-year offer he received from the LA Knight Riders is a major factor in his argument.
Mail Sport first showed American interest in Roy, who would be the first English 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 told Roy its decision will have no impact on Mott’s selection plans or the next round of key contracts, which will be awarded in October.
With the Ashes starting next month, England have no white ball games until the series against New Zealand and Ireland in August and September. By that time, Roy will be back in the country as he is also signed for the Oval Invincibles in the Hundred.
Roy’s willingness to walk away from an ECB deal highlights the threat to international cricket posed by the rise of T20 franchise leagues, fueled by the tremendous growth of the IPL.
Roy played a key role as England won the 50-over World Cup in 2019
He played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the last Indian Premier League
Mail Sport revealed earlier this month that the 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 that trend given the LA Knight Riders’ ownership of his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders.
The first major league cricket to start in Texas this summer poses a particular threat to English cricket because of the schedule. Mail Sport announced on Wednesday that the new competition would be extended through August next year, sparking a clash with the Hundred leads.
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 hundreds.