Jason Roy

A hard-hitting opening batsman, Jason Roy earned his maiden call-up to the English side for the one-off T20I against India in September 2014 on the back of cracking 677 runs at a superb average of 48.35 in that season's Natwest T20 blast. Roy has also been a good performer for the English Lions.

Roy has not done badly in first-class cricket but limited overs cricket, which grants him the freedom to express himself, is his stronger suit. The South African-born batsman brought with him that X-factor, which the English ODI side desperately needed for the 2015 World Cup.

The Surrey batsman, along with Alex Hales, has been pivotal in putting the English top-order woes to rest in white-ball cricket after a disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign. With minimal feet movement, Roy can hit the ball a long way especially with the flashing cross-bat swing that he, often makes it look so easy. He slammed two hundreds against Sri Lanka in England in 2016 compiling his highest ODI score while at it. There was no looking back since then. He is preferred as the first choice opener and despite failures, he is touted as a key member of the new-look England side.

Roy ran out of chances during the 2017 Champions Trophy, in a crucial semifinal encounter against Pakistan, he was dropped and Jonny Bairstow took his place. However, with runs in the NatWest T20 Blast, Roy returned to the T20 side line-up and slammed a 67 in the second game against South Africa. After the comeback into the ODI team he has grown from strength to strength. His breathtaking innings of 180 against Australia at the MCG overhauled Alex Hales 171 as the best ODI score by an England batsman. And his 221 run stand with Joe Root in the same match was the team’s highest ever for the third wicket in one-day cricket.

Jason Roy represented Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in 2017 and 2018 respectively, but decided to pull out of the tournament in the following season owing to World Cup preparations.

World Cup - What to expect

“If Bairstow don't get you, Roy must,” could well be the theme of the World Cup as England enter the mega tournament as firm favourites. With Roy and Bairstow at the top of the order followed by plethora of world-class batsmen, the England line-up is certain to give nightmares to its opponents.

Roy came back strongly after he was omitted from the playing XI in the midst of the 2017 Champions Trophy. His incredible knock at the MCG in January 2018 made him almost undroppable from the squad and the right-hander hasn’t looked back ever since. In England’s final ODI series before the World Cup, Jason Roy shone with the bat in all three innings against Pakistan posting scores of 87, 76 and 114. Like his batting partner Bairstow, Roy too will carry no baggage of the previous World Cup horrors.

World Cup 2019

England finally got hold of the silverware that had been eluding them for almost 40 odd years. They won the 2019 WC in a stalemate of game against new Zealand and at the fore front of the campaign was Jason Roy. Jason started off with a quickfire fifty against South Africa before smashing 153 against Bangladesh. But then tragedy struck England and Roy. He tore his left hamstring and missed out on three games. England ended up loosing two of those games and were staring at an elimination in a do-or-die game against India.

But Roy announced his comeback in his typical inimitable style spanking Indian bowlers to all corners of the park enroute a 57-ball 66. His opening partnership with Jonny Bairstow produced three consecutive 100 plus partnerships and that paved the way for an England triumph.

Roy's white ball prowess isn't a secret anymore but his red ball technique has been often questioned. But England selector threw weight behind him and Roy made his Test debut against Ireland ahead of Ashes 2019, a series for which he has been picked.

Written by Abhinand Raghavendran and Kumar Abhisekh Das