- Jason Roy’s International Future in Doubt After World Cup Exclusion
- England Offers Roy a Reserve Role, but He Faces a Tough Decision
- Harry Brook Chosen Over Roy Due to Injury and Squad Composition
Jason Roy is contemplating his international future after being cut from an England World Cup roster for the second time in a year at the eleventh hour. Roy could still play in the World Cup if one of England’s opening batters suffers an injury – as he did in the T20 World Cup in 2021 – and is currently the first-choice reserve for those positions. After two spectacular rejections, he must decide if he wants to play for the international squad.
Luke Wright, the England men’s national selector, stated that Roy was “absolutely devastated” when he was informed by Jos Buttler that he had lost his spot in the group of 15 traveling to India at the end of the month, but that the door remained open for a return.
“We’ve made it clear to Jason that we still see him as a batting reserve at the top of the order,” Wright said. “I’m confident Jason has some pondering to do after his initial disappointment. It is a difficult pill to accept. His continued availability for England was the [initial] response. If nothing changes, that is how we see it.”
Roy has been invited to join the squad preparing to play Ireland in three One-Day Internationals beginning at Headingley on Wednesday, but has yet to respond and is still suffering from the back ailment that forced him to miss the series against New Zealand, which concluded on Friday.
Wright stated, “We’ve given Jason the option to be involved.”
“We were devastated when he wasn’t chosen for the World Cup, so we left it to Jason. We’ve told Jason we won’t evaluate him differently if he plays against Ireland or not as the top-order spare batter.”
Wright explained that the decision to replace Roy with Harry Brook was a result of his injury, Dawid Malan’s strong performance against the Black Caps, and the decision to take only one additional batsman into the squad of 15.
“In the initial squad, Roy was slated to open the batting with Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan providing cover from No. 1 to No. 4,” Wright said. “However, we realized that things had changed and Dawid would be opening the batting with Jonny in the World Cup.” Then it was time to use the reserve batter; what did that look like? From Jason’s perspective, he probably only covers us for the first song. Harry covers No. 1–No. Roy’s heritage and Harry Brook’s brilliance are hard to exclude. These are extremely difficult judgments, and Harry has been chosen this time.”
In contrast to the previous two T20 World Cups, England does not intend to name any traveling reserves for this tournament, with Wright stating that “it’s a tough trip when you’re not in the squad.” Instead, they intend to ask several players to “keep ticking over” in case they are unexpectedly called to India. England’s coaches and physiotherapists will help Jofra Archer recover from a right elbow stress fracture.
After four disappointing batting performances against New Zealand, Joe Root has requested to play against Ireland in the first match. “He simply desired a little more time,” Wright explained. “That he wants to tweak and develop even when he’s not feeling well shows what makes him a world-class player. We figured he needed a break, but he just wanted another chance.”
