Roy keeps Bairstow at bay for opener
Jason Roy will keep his place for England’s opening match of the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh tomorrow but time is running out for him to find form.
Eoin Morgan gave Roy his backing on Sunday and the captain will be given the team he wants, but Jonny Bairstow’s form is putting pressure on Roy to rediscover his touch quickly, especially in a short tournament such as the Champions Trophy. Roy has made four singlefigure scores in his last five ODI innings, while Bairstow has made three half-centuries in four innings.
The fact that England’s first game is at the Kia Oval, Roy’s home ground, could provide him with the lift he needs. England are also playing Bangladesh, the weakest team in the tournament who were blown away by 240 runs in a warm-up against India yesterday.
“He [Bairstow] is doing everything he possibly can do, he’s putting a lot of pressure on and that’s what we want. It’ll be an interesting selection meeting,” said Trevor Bayliss, the England head coach. When asked if Roy’s form was a concern, Bayliss replied: “Yes it is if one of your players is not scoring the runs that you would like him to score. A couple of years ago, I think, against New Zealand, he didn’t
Familiar territory: Jason Roy will be playing against Bangladesh at his home ground make big scores but we stuck with him and he came good. He’s been the basis for a lot of our success, with him and [Alex] Hales getting us off to a decent start. That’s what’ll make it a difficult decision.”
Bayliss expects Ben Stokes to be fit tomorrow despite his left knee problem. He was due to see a specialist yesterday to provide a longterm diagnosis, but it looks likely he will play even if only primarily as a batsman.
“It’s a strange one. He can run around as usual in the field like a mad man and get his hundred over the weekend and not even feel it, it’s just when he’s bowling at full tilt,” said Bayliss.
Stokes and Chris Woakes, two England players who played long Indian Premier League seasons, are both nursing injuries but director of cricket Andrew Strauss still believes the benefit of playing in India outweighs the risk. He has confirmed, though, that players will not be allowed to miss Tests to play in the IPL. Next summer, England have a May Test series against Pakistan that could clash with the IPL.
“When you get to the stage where you’re missing Tests to play in the IPL, that sends out a very strong message about where your priorities are – and I would be uncomfortable with that,” said Strauss.
Final Whistle: S16