Jason Roy will hope being handed Oval captaincy will lead to a turnaround in form
(Picture: Getty Images)Oval Invincibles will hand struggling England opener Jason Roy the captaincy for Thursday’s game against Northern Superchargers.
Invincibles are without their captain, Sam Billings, who is away for one match leading the England Lions against South Africa at Canterbury. Also absent is Will Jacks, who would also have been a captaincy candidate, having led Surrey in the quarter-final of this year’s Vitality Blast.
Roy has therefore been entrusted with leading the team against Superchargers, who last night lost to Trent Rockets in Leeds. Like Oval, they have won one and lost one of their first two matches.
Roy, 32, has never captained a team at senior level before, but is a vastly experienced white-ball cricketer, with close to 500 professional limited overs appearances around the world.
Invincibles will hope that this show of faith in Roy, a confidence player, will lead to a turnaround in his form. Roy is experiencing a concerning dip, making just 76 runs in six T20 internationals for England this summer, then starting the Hundred with scores of nought and 10.
He will be supported as captain by other senior players such as the Curran brothers and Sunil Narine. The job is likely to be just for one match, with Billings set to be back for Sunday’s fixture against Southern Brave.
Tomorrow’s match is an afternoon fixture that precedes the launch of this year’s women’s competition, which was delayed by the Commonwealth Games.
The women’s Hundred suffered a blow this morning when Meg Lanning withdrew. She has taken an immediate, indefinite break for personal reasons after leading Australia to victory in the Commonwealth Games.
Jason Roy will captain Oval Invincibles men in their match against Northern Superchargers at the Kia Oval on Thursday (3pm start). He will stand in for Sam Billings who – alongside teammate Will Jacks – is playing for England Lions in their ongoing four-day match against South Africa at Canterbury
Speaking ahead of the game, Jason said: “I was delighted to be asked to captain the guys and am relishing the extra responsibility. Although it’s only for one game, it’s an honour to lead the team.”
“Jason Roy will captain Oval Invincibles men in their match against Northern Superchargers at the Kia Oval on Thursday (3pm start). He will stand in for Sam Billings who – alongside teammate Will Jacks – is playing for England Lions in their ongoing four-day match against South Africa at Canterbury,” read a club statement.
“Speaking ahead of the game, Jason said: “I was delighted to be asked to captain the guys and am relishing the extra responsibility. Although it’s only for one game, it’s an honour to lead the team.”
