LONDON: England player, Jason Roy, has signed up with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to play in the inaugural season of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.
Media reports had indicated that he had singed a two-year deal for £300,000 with the IPL franchise he played with during the current season. It also said that he had cancelled his national contract with the ECB, thereby not be eligible for selection in the England team.
In a statement, Roy has, however, clarified that “representing my country continues to be my proudest moment as a professional cricketer. I hope to play for England for many more years, that remains my priority.”
He wrote that he has 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.”
His statement began by saying that “following a bit of unwanted speculation over the last 24 hours, I wanted to clarify that I am not and never will ‘walk away from England.
“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 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,” wrote Roy.
