RAMPANT ROY’S READY TO TAKE ULTIMATE TEST
JASON ROY’S remarkable innings of 162 to see off Sri Lanka at The Oval on Wednesday evening may have opened the door to a Test debut, according to England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace. Roy came within six runs of breaking Robin Smith’s 23-year-old record for the highest one-day score by an England player and could now be discussed by the selectors for possible inclusion in a Test batting line-up that is yet to shake off concerns about its inconsistency. With Nick Compton out of the reckoning and James Vince yet to make an impression at Test level, the two most touted tweaks have involved handing a debut to Durham’s Scott Borthwick or playing wicketkeepers Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler in the same team, with Buttler donning the gloves. But the class Roy, 25, has demonstrated against Sri Lanka — with an unbeaten 112 at Edgbaston to go alongside Wednesday’s 162 — will broaden the debate. Asked if Roy’s limited-overs skill could translate to the Test arena, Farbrace replied: ‘There’s nothing to stop him. He just looks as if he’s getting better and better and Test cricket’s well within his reach, definitely. ‘It’s not the be-all and end-all if you go down one path and not necessarily both. He’s a young man and he’s got a lot of ability. Hopefully he will play all forms. But while he’s playing like that in white-ball cricket, we just want to keep him going.’ England, who are waiting to see if Alex Hales has recovered from a back injury in time to help his side complete a 3-0 series win at Cardiff tomorrow, are ahead of schedule after they opted for a change of approach to the one-day game last summer. And Farbrace, who was interim coach when the revolution began with a score of 408 for nine against New Zealand at Edgbaston, said the goal was to be ranked inside the top three in the world by the 2019 World Cup, which will be held in the UK. England currently stand fifth. ‘If we are going to win the World Cup we’ve got to be in the top three within 12 months of the tournament,’ he said. ‘The World T20 was a great confidence boost, and if we can play well in the Champions Trophy next year then who knows where that takes us?’