Decline: Jason Roy was once a white-ball lock-in for England, but that is no longer the case
(Picture: Getty Images)When England arrived in South Africa earlier this week, white-ball head coach Matthew Mott confirmed, unsurprisingly, that the injured Jonny Bairstow and rested Joe Root remain “lock-ins” to start the 50-over World Cup in October. Not so long ago, Jason Roy would have fallen into the same category.
The belligerent opener, a talismanic embodiment of the shift in England’s philosophy that prompted their ascent from embarrassment to, now, white-ball kings of the world, had always been prone to the odd bit of streakiness — that is, more or less, what form is — but had proven his worth a hundred times over and had it exemplified by spells on the sidelines during successive major tournaments.
