jason roy He has broken his silence amid reports of going to America from England to participate in Major League Cricket (MLC). The star opener has confirmed that he will indeed take part in the T20 league but assured everyone that it will not be a problem as the MLC matches will not overlap with England’s fixtures.
The Durban-born cricketer has also made it clear that he will be available for the England squad for the 2023 World Cup. In his statement, Roy mentioned that he will not receive any payment for the remaining period of his contract year, which is scheduled to run till October.
Notably, Roy has opted to give up his contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as he is not currently under a full central contract and instead holds an incremental deal. Despite his decision, the ECB has assured Roy that he will be considered for selection in future white-ball national teams.
The MLC is scheduled to take place at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas from July 13-30 and has significant support from both India and Australia. Four of the six franchises have investors who own IPL teams, while Cricket Victoria and Cricket New South Wales hold stakes in the other two.
Roy released a lengthy statement in which he clarified his commitment to playing for England, stressing that he had no intention of ‘walking away from England’ and represented his country as a professional cricketer. Doing is his favorite achievement. He further informed that they have had very good discussions with the ECB regarding his participation in the MLC and both sides have come to a mutual agreement not to pay Roy for the remaining period of his contract year.
“Following some unwanted speculation over the past 24 hours, I wanted to clarify that I am not ‘walking away from England’ and will never be. Representing my country as a professional cricketer has been my proudest moment . I hope to play for England for many more years, that is my priority. I have had frank and helpful discussions with the ECB about my participation in Major League Cricket. The ECB were happy for me to play in the competition, as long as that they didn’t have to pay me for the rest of the contract year,” Roy wrote in his statement on Twitter.
Roy highlighted that playing in competitive matches has been beneficial for him and mentioned that his top priority is to play for England, especially in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India.
“As a singles format player without any central contract, I wanted to take the opportunity to play in this competition as there is currently no scheduling conflict with England. It’s beneficial to me as an England player to play as much competitive cricket as possible. Just to be very clear, my priority is England cricket, especially with the World Cup soon upon us. For me and for any player, it is the biggest honor for me to get a cap to play for my country. added Roy.
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— Jason Roy (@jasonroy20) May 25, 2023
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