(Reuters) – Batsman Jason Roy has given up his incremental contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to play in the inaugural edition of the United States’ new Twenty20 tournament – Major League Cricket (MLC).
Roy, who was an integral part of the England side which won the 2019 one-day World Cup, was dropped from a full contract to an incremental one in October.
The incremental contracts are given to players who may feature for England on a less predictable basis.
“The ECB have agreed for him to play in the competition (MLC) on the proviso that he gives up the remainder of his ECB incremental contract, which both parties have agreed to,” the ECB said on Thursday.
“The ECB wish to clarify that this decision will not affect Jason’s selection for England teams going forward. We have absolute confidence and faith that Jason is committed to England cricket.”
In a statement on social media, Roy said he would never “walk away from England”.
“I’ve had clear and supportive conversations with the ECB about participating in Major League Cricket. The ECB were happy with me to play in the competition as long as they didn’t have to pay me for the remainder of the contractual year,” Roy said.
“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. It benefits 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 a World Cup soon upon us. It is for me, and for any player, the greatest honour to receive a cap to play for their country.”
The six-team MLC tournament will be played between July 13-30 in Dallas, while the 50-overs Cricket World Cup will take place in India in October and November.
According to an ESPNCricinfo report, Roy is set to play for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Toby Davis)
