England announced their final 15-man squad for the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India on Sunday, ruthlessly leaving out Jason Roy for Harry Brook. Yet there are still questions ahead of the defending champions’ opening game of the tournament against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on 5 October.
Is Roy’s international career now over?
It certainly looks that way for an injury-prone 33-year-old who has just been unceremoniously dropped.
Roy has been a terrific player for England and was integral to their 2019 World Cup win on home soil. But realistically what is there left for him to achieve now? Luke Wright, England’s national selector, revealed Roy has been asked to play some part in the ODI series against Ireland that starts this week and to be a reserve for the World Cup.
It is telling that Roy has not yet confirmed whether he is willing to do that. The feeling is that after being told that the 15 players named last month would be the World Cup squad, Roy is seething. Wright admitted it had been a “hammer blow” for the opener, who was told the bad news over the weekend by captain and close friend Jos Buttler.
“For Jason now, I’m sure he’s got some thinking to do over the initial disappointment but we’ve made clear that if there’s an injury at the top of the order, there’s definitely the option for him to come in as the reserve,” Wright said. “We’ve spoken to him about that and he has time to reflect over the next few days. It is obviously not an easy pill to swallow.”
The likelihood is that Roy will not make himself available as a reserve and that Zak Crawley, who captains an experimental squad against Ireland, will be the top-order cover for the tournament in India.
England’s predicted XI for the World Cup
- Jonny Bairstow
- Dawid Malan
- Joe Root
- Ben Stokes
- Jos Buttler (captain)
- Liam Livingstone
- Moeen Ali
- Sam Curran
- Chris Woakes
- Adil Rashid
- Mark Wood
Other than Crawley, who’s playing against Ireland?
Well, Brook has been pulled from that three-match series after being named in the World Cup squad in order to give him a rest before the team fly out to India on Thursday week.
However, Joe Root, out of form in the recent series against New Zealand, will be playing the first match at his home ground of Headingley on Wednesday.
“It shows what makes him such a world-class player that when he doesn’t feel quite right he still wants to tinker and do more,” Wright said. “As much as we thought he probably needed a break, he just wanted another go.” Other than Root, nobody else in the World Cup squad faces Ireland.
Does Brook’s inclusion in the World Cup squad change the balance of England’s expected team?
No. Brook is the reserve batter. It means when everyone is fit he doesn’t get into the XI.
However, just as he did against New Zealand at Lord’s last Friday, expect the Yorkshireman to fill in for Ben Stokes at certain points throughout the World Cup. The all-rounder is still struggling with a chronic injury to his left knee – hence why he came out of ODI retirement as a batter only. Given England play nine group matches in six weeks, Brook looks certain to at least come in and play a couple of the lower key games – like England’s third against Afghanistan in Delhi – so that Stokes can rest his knee.
There’s also the possibility that in some conditions – not everywhere in India favours the spinners – Brook could also come in for either Liam Livingstone or Moeen Ali if England decide they don’t need three frontline slow-bowling options. It is why Brook’s flexibility gave him the edge over Roy.
What’s happening with Jofra Archer?
The fast bowler is on the flight to India with the squad as a travelling reserve as he builds up his return to fitness from a serious elbow injury.
England still hope he would be able to come in for the second half of the tournament if injury were to befall another bowler in the squad.
“Jof will probably be the only one [reserve] that actually travels with the team,” Wright said. “It’s exactly the same time scale as where we were. But I think for him, the best thing he can do is travel with the team, keep his fitness going and have those physios around him.”
Weren’t there meant to be three travelling reserves?
That’s what Wright said on 16 August when he named the original squad. But a lot of what he said then hasn’t been right. It turns out Archer is the only “travelling” reserve while everyone else – including Roy if he fancies it – will be on standby at home.
“It’s a tough trip to take people with you when you are not involved in the squad, we have to be aware of that,” Wright said.
Expect Crawley, Brydon Carse, Luke Wood and Will Jacks to be the likely players on standby.
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