LAST ORDERS

Final opening chance for Roy before he and fellow struggler Denly swap roles as England look to end early collapses

JASON ROY will get one more Test to prove himself as an opener before England move him to the middle order where head coach Trevor Bayliss thinks he belongs.

Right now, Joe Denly is in possession of the coveted No.4 position, but has hardly been a resounding success either.

England’s decision-makers still believe Roy has what it takes to be a Test batsman, but his returns alongside best mate Rory Burns have been negligible.

And while the upside of his swashbuckling style could be an electric start to England’s innings, he has not hung around long enough yet for anyone to find out.

“He is a middle-order player, but the one spot available was at the top,” said Bayliss.

“That meant Jason coming in and with his experience of white-ball cricket – yes, we know it’s different, that’s the option we took.

“It hasn’t worked yet, but he could easily come out and blast a quick 100. Long term, he’s more middle order, he’d feel more comfortable there.”

Denly actually has more experience of opening in firstclass cricket than Roy – who took a blow on the helmet from one of the coaching staff in the nets yesterday (above) – so it does beg the question why they have not already made the switch. This is a problem that will have been thrashed out in the selection meeting, yet somehow they will go into the third Test putting square pegs in round holes, leaving something for the next coach to deal with when Bayliss leaves.

For now, the only concern is to get enough runs out of the players they have to give their bowlers something to work with.

They will continue with Ben Stokes at No.5 and will ask Jonny Bairstow to bat at six above Jos Buttler if he has not already kept wicket.

It is a fluid, flexible structure that cuts against the grain as far as Bayliss is concerned. But for this match and potentially the series, England will stay light and nimble in the hope it works as well as it did in Sri Lanka.

“I’d like to see the guys stick to a position and everyone becomes comfortable, but it is one of the difficulties,” added Bayliss.

“The all-rounders having to back up after bowling or keeping is one of the challenges, exactly what the answer is we’re trying to work it out.

“It’s something we have to look at going forward. There might come a time when we have to say no, this is what’s happening. Like it or lump it.”