England’s opening batter Jason Roy is planning to cancel his central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He wants to sign a contract with the franchise to play in the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket in the United States. The tournament will begin on July 13 and run until July 30. Roy is set to sign a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Knight Riders franchise for the next two years.
The opening batter will lose his place in the England squad for the ODI World Cup if he signs the contract with the franchise. India will host the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The 32-year-old will become the first player from the England national cricket team to step away from his central contract to concentrate on the T20 league around the world. Currently, he is part of the ECB’s centrally contracted players list. The board will have control over the player’s schedule until October this year.
Jason Roy has represented England in 116 ODI matches in his nine-year career. He scored 4271 runs with an average of 39.91 and a strike rate of 105.53. The right-handed batter was instrumental in England’s World Cup-winning squad in 2019 at home. He scored 443 runs in eight matches in the tournament, with an impressive average of 63.29.
Roy has been in talks with ECB officials about signing with the LA Knight Riders for the past few weeks. The batter will get a No Objection Certificate if he is willing to cancel his central contract. It will surely have an effect on his international career.
