IPL 2022: THIS Gujarat Titans batter fined, given suspended ban by home board

The ECB said Jason Roy admitted to a charge of `conducting himself in a manner which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket, the ECB and himself into disrepute`.

England and Gujarat Titans opener Jason Roy was handed a suspended two-match international ban on Tuesday (March 22) for bringing the sport into disrepute. Details about the exact nature of Roy’s disciplinary breach were not disclosed by the England and Wales Cricket Board. 

Roy was bought by the Titans during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru last month but has subsequently pulled out of the tournament citing ‘bio-bubble’ fatigue. Roy was bought for Rs 2 crore. IPL debutant Titans, led by Hardik Pandya, have replaced Roy with Afghanistan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. 

The ECB said Roy admitted to a charge of ‘conducting himself in a manner which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket, the ECB and himself into disrepute’. His ban is for the ‘next two England matches for which he is eligible for selection’ but it is suspended for 12 months, dependent on good behaviour, the ECB said. 

The 31-year-old Roy was also fined 2,500 pounds ($3,310). Roy, who played a key role in helping England win the 50-over Cricket World Cup in 2019, is expected to be in England’s squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia this year. 

He recently announced he was taking a ‘short indefinite break’ from cricket after withdrawing from the upcoming Indian Premier League, citing bubble fatigue. He was due to play for Gujarat Titans. 

Vikram Solanki, the Titans' director of cricket, had said, “Whilst it is disappointing that Jason will not be a part of our campaign this year, we are mindful of the health and well-being of players in these times. We wish Jason well and look forward to his return to the field. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is one of the promising young batters to emerge from Afghanistan and we believe he is an ideal replacement for Jason. Gurbaz is an attacking batter and fits into our plans for the Gujarat Titans. He has given a good account of his talent in international cricket and a few tournaments around the globe.” 

(with PTI inputs)