Jason Roy was "gutted" after being axed by England ahead of the T20 World Cup, Managing Director of Men's Cricket Rob Key has revealed.
Roy was a high-profile omission from the squad, but England felt like they could not take a "gamble on him finding form" after the 32-year-old experienced such a lean summer. In six T20Is for England, Roy scored just 76 runs from 98 balls and then managed just 51 runs off 51 balls in six innings in The Hundred.
As a result, England were planning to promote Jonny Bairstow up the order to open alongside captain Jos Buttler at the World Cup. However, those plans have been scuppered after Bairstow suffered a lower limb injury in a freak accident while playing golf mere hours after the squad was announced.
