Ton-up Roy happy to ‘knuckle down’ for England
cardiff — England’s Jason Roy believes he is adding an extra dimension to his game by “knuckling down” at the start of an innings.
The 27-year-old, long known as a brilliant ball-striker, made a polished 120 as England beat world champions Australia by 38 runs to win the second one-day international in Cardiff on Saturday and so take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Roy’s innings and a typically quickfire 91 not out from stand-in captain Jos Buttler, deputising after regular skipper Eoin Morgan suffered a back spasm shortly before the toss, took England to a total of 342 for eight.
Australia opener Shaun Marsh made 131 on his Glamorgan
‘home’ ground but the tourists were still bowled out for 304 with 17 balls to spare. Roy struck an England ODI record 180 against Australia in Melbourne in January this year.
But, after talking with England batting coach Graham Thorpe. he rated Saturday’s innings the best of his five ODI hundreds after his side were sent into bat in overcast conditions by Australia captain Tim
Paine. That Roy has shown he can score hundreds in different styles will be a boost to England as they seek a maiden World Cup title when staging next year’s edition. “I had a
long discussion with Thorpey just after I got out and said it was probably my favourite innings — as far as the tempo of it, the way I knuckled down early,” said Roy. —