England batsman Jason Roy has given up his contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to play in the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket (MLC) T20 tournament in the US, paving the way for similar moves by other England players.
Roy was an integral part of the England side which won the 2019 ODI World Cup but 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 consistent basis.
Earlier, news emerged of several Indian Premier League franchises offering full-year contracts to top players from England and Australia to have them available for their teams in various franchise tournaments across the world.
Roy is set to play for the Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC; the team is run by owners of IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders.
"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.
The 32-year-old has reportedly been offered a contract of £300,000 to represent LA Knight Riders on a two-season deal, a figure that dwarfs the terms he is foregoing with the ECB. Roy's incremental agreement was worth between £60,000 and £70,000 and ran until October.
The six-team MLC tournament will be played between July 13-30 in Dallas.
It has been reported that Surrey seamer Reece Topley, who also has an incremental deal with the ECB, has also been targeted by MLC, while there has been mounting speculation that IPL franchises could soon be looking to sign up high-profile star names on 12-month deals. Jofra Archer, who was recently ruled out of the English summer through injury, is among those to have been considered for the deal.
