Jason Roy to retire from England cricket and opt for T20 contract with Knight Riders franchise – Reports

Jason Roy was dropped from England's 15-man World Cup 2023 squad to accommodate Harry Brook.

England opener Jason Roy, who was recently dropped from the England squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 to be played in India, has turned down a chance to play for England's second-string side in their ODI series against Ireland.

England are scheduled to play Ireland in three ODIs, the first of which was to be played in Nottingham but was washed out due to rain. These matches will be England’s final bilateral assignment before the World Cup 2023, where the Jos Buttler-led side will play two warm-up matches before the actual tournament begins.

England selector Luke Wright confirmed that Jason Roy was given "the option of being involved" against Ireland, he made it clear that his choice would not change his position as England's "batting reserve at the top of the order" for the World Cup, which would keep him on standby at home in the event that Jonny Bairstow or Dawid Malan were to become injured.

"He wasn't expecting to be in that Ireland squad and then to get the news that he was missing out on the World Cup all came as a bit of a hammer blow. We've made it apparent to Jason that we won't judge him differently for that position as the spare batter at the top of the order whether he plays against Ireland or not,” Wright was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

Despite being nominated to England's preliminary 15-man squad last month, Roy was unable to play in the four-match ODI series against New Zealand due to back spasms he experienced the mornings of two of the matches. Harry Brook took his position in the team on Sunday.

Jason Roy Set To Bid Adieu To International Cricket And Take Up T20 Contract For Knight Riders

In anticipation of a "changing of the guard" following the World Cup 2023, Roy made it known that he is unlikely to play international cricket after being left off of England's squad. He is currently a contracted player for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on an incremental deal till October.

Having previously played for Kolkata Knight Riders and their Major League Cricket affiliate LA Knight Riders, he also stated that he would be open to a multi-franchise contract with them.

Although England have stated that they will still consider Roy for selection going forward, it seems more and more likely that he has played his final international innings. Theoretically, he could stop playing in English cricket altogether and switch to the MLC and Caribbean Premier League from the Blast and the Hundred.

Earlier, it had been reported that after playing in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Roy is likely to sign up with the Los Angeles Knight Riders (Kolkata Knight Riders' sister franchise) in the Major Cricket League (MLC) in the USA on a two-year deal.