Roy’s miserable run continues for England

With his top-of-the-order aggression and rapid strike rate, Jason Roy has been an emblem of England’s new-found positivity in one-day cricket over the past two years.

He might just be starting to be a weak link.

Roy’s miserable summer of scoring continued Thursday when the right-handed opener was dismissed for 1 in England’s Champions Trophy curtain raiser against Bangladesh at The Oval.

His list of international scores this summer reads: 0, 20, 1, 8, 4 and 1. In all competitions this season, Roy has a top score of 44.

England captain Eoin Morgan said in his eve-of-tournament news conference that Roy will “definitely play” in the Champions Trophy, that his opening partnership with fellow big hitter Alex Hales was a vital part of a team that has grown in stature in its ODI renaissance since the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Morgan hadn’t changed his mind after Roy’s latest failure.

Roy looked tentative in his eight-ball innings, edging two of his first four deliveries into his pads, then poking a thick edge just short of a close-range fielder off a shot away from his body. His demise came two balls later when he scooped a delivery from Mashrafe Mortaza to short fine leg.

Roy looks short of confidence, and is the obvious weakness in a powerful-looking batting lineup that makes the English one of the tournament favourites. His struggles were brought into sharper focus by Hales and Joe Root combining after Roy’s departure for a second-wicket stand of 159 to help England to an eight-wicket win in Group A.