Roy given another chance as opener
ENGLAND are ready to hand Jason Roy another opportunity to prove himself as an Ashes opener but even head coach Trevor Bayliss believes he is better suited to the middle order.
Roy averages just nine in five knocks at the head of the innings, having thus far failed to translate his limited-overs brilliance to the five-day format, but is likely to take his role in an unchanged top four in tomorrow’s third Specsavers Test at Headingley.
England resisted the temptation to bring in fresh faces by keeping the same 12-man squad after last week’s draw at Lord’s, leaving question marks over the order rather than the personnel.
For now the expectation is for continuity, with Roy partnering Surrey team-mate Rory Burns, captain Joe Root continuing at three despite two failures at Lord’s, and Joe Denly – who began his Test career this winter as opener – up next.
But Bayliss was candid in his assessment of the situation, admitting it may be a temporary arrangement.
“We think we’ve got the best seven batters available to us at the moment in England... whether we can change it round and make that (order) any better, I’m not sure, but we’ll certainly have a discussion about it,” he said.
“There’s one or two batting spots in the wrong positions but we’re trying to do the right thing by the team.
“Personally, I think Roy is a middle-order player but we’ve had a set middle order – yes, some of the combos have changed – but the one spot available was at the top.
“Yes, it hasn’t worked yet but he can easily come out and blast a quick hundred. Long-term he’s more middle-order, he’d feel more comfortable there, and he’s doing a job for the team.”
Even with that in mind, two more failures at Headingley would surely be the end of the experiment and the left-hander could be asked to swap with Denly if that occurs.
Root is sure to stay at first drop for the time being, having requested a promotion he previously shied away from at the start of the series.
The engine room of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow could conceivably come out in any order at five, six and seven, depending on the former’s workload with the ball and the latter’s exertions at wicketkeeper, but Bayliss realises that fluidity may not be a permanent solution.
“I’d like to see the guys stick to a position and everyone becomes comfortable but it is one of the difficulties,” he said.
“The all-rounders having to back up after bowling or keeping is one of the challenges and exactly what the answer is...we’re trying to work it out.
“There might come a time when we have to put a foot down and say, ‘No, this is what’s happening. Like it or lump it’.”
There might come a time when we say, ‘This is what’s happening ... Like it or lump it’