English opener Jason Roy has announced his decision to terminate his incremental contract with the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in order to participate in Major League Cricket (MLC), the newly established T20 franchise tournament in the United States of America. The MLC is scheduled to take place from July 13 to 30 at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and has garnered significant support from India and Australia, with IPL team owners investing in four out of the six franchises, while Cricket Victoria and Cricket New South Wales have stakes in the remaining two.
While the inaugural season of the MLC coincides with the English summer, with T20 Blast semi-finals and finals on July 15 and County Championship fixtures between Finals Day and the start of The Hundred on August 1, players on full central contracts are unlikely to participate in the MLC this year.
The ECB issued a statement confirming Jason Roy's desire to join Major League Cricket. "England Men's white-ball batter Jason Roy has informed the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that he wishes to take up an agreement with Major League Cricket in the USA later this summer. The ECB has agreed for him to play in the competition on the proviso that he gives up the remainder of his ECB incremental contract, which both parties have agreed to," the statement read.
Roy also took to social media to address the situation, stating that he would never walk away from representing England, despite not having a central contract. He emphasized his commitment to playing for England and clarified his decision to participate in Major League Cricket. "I've had clear and supportive conversations with the ECB about participating in Major League Cricket. 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," Roy explained.
The ECB echoed Roy's sentiments in their statement, assuring that his participation in Major League Cricket would not impact his selection for England teams in the future. They expressed confidence in Roy's commitment to England cricket. "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," the statement affirmed.
With his decision to join Major League Cricket, Roy becomes the first prominent England player to venture into franchise cricket and sign contracts with private entities. He was previously signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, and the same franchise also holds a team in the MLC.