Jason Roy to step away from England’s central contract to sign contract for Los Angeles Knight Riders in two-year-deal

England opening batter Jason Roy is likely to cancel his central contract with the England Cricket Board to sign a contract with Los Angeles Knight Riders in the upcoming edition of the Major League Cricket in the United States, which is scheduled to begin on July 13 and run until July 30.

The 32-year-old is set to sign a contract with the LA-based franchise for the next two years at 3.68cr INR. With this, Roy can also lose his place in the England squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup that is scheduled to be hosted by India later in the year. England will be going into the tournament as the defending champions as they clinched the title in 2019.

I’m sure he (Roy) will have plenty of opportunities in the abundance of T20 cricket…: England Men’s Cricket managing director

However, England Men’s cricket managing director Rob Key that he expects Roy to remain a key part of England’s plans in ODIs ahead of their World Cup campaign. The right-handed batter played a crucial role in England’s 2019 winning campaign as he amassed 443 runs in eight matches in the tournament, with an impressive average of 63.29 and a strike rate of 115.36. However, he wasn’t part of the squad for the 20-20 World Cup in 2022 due to his poor form.

“It’s just a case of him finding form, and I’m sure he will have plenty of opportunities in the abundance of T20 cricket that there is around the world to find that form again,” Key said as quoted by the Mirror.

“I would argue that the 50-over format is his strongest suit and we still see him as very much part of this setup. But, given his white-ball summer and then The Hundred, we feel it’s too much of a gamble to continue going into Pakistan and straight into Australia,” he further added.

As reported by Daily Mail, Roy is in talks with the officials of the cricket board for the past few weeks for his signing with the LA Knight Riders. The announcement will be made soon and Roy is likely to get a No Objection Certificate if he is willing to cancel his central contract. However, this will also affect his international career.