Explosive opening batsman Jason Roy is expected to make his limited-overs comeback during England’s three-match ODI series against Australia in November.
After a disastrous home summer that saw him average 12.66 in England’s T20 international games against India and South Africa while managing just 51 runs in six innings for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, Roy was dropped from the England squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup. Furthermore, the 32-year-old also recently lost his central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Bboard, but was kept on an incremental contract.
He will, however, keep his spot in the 50-over lineup and is slated to be picked in the ODI squad the following week for the series against Australia, which begins on November 17 and concludes with games on November 19 and 22.
Although Roy struggled to score runs in England’s home ODI matches this summer, scoring just 121 runs at an average of 24.20 over five innings, his troubles were mitigated by the fact that the batting conditions were the most difficult in recent memory.
Even as recently as June, he made an unbeaten 101 against the Netherlands. Roy also struggled in The Hundred as he scored just 51 runs in six innings in a campaign that also included three ducks.
Despite his reintroduction into the international team, Alex Hales, who will open the batting for England at the World Cup, is not likely to be a part of the ODI squad. He renewed his contract with Team Abu Dhabi earlier this week, and the franchise’s management anticipates him to be available for the duration of the Abu Dhabi T10, which begins the day after the third and final ODI against the Aussies.
England will look to add middle-order batsmen into their squad for the Australia ODI series, as a number of their first-choice players will not be taking part in the series. Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, and Harry Brook will travel to Abu Dhabi on November 18 for a training camp ahead of the Test series against Pakistan. As a result, James Vince and Sam Billings are likely to be drafted into the squad.
