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Jason Roy: England and Oval Invincibles batter backed by Kevin Pietersen

Last updated on .From the section The HundredBBC Russian468

When you're out of form as a top-order batter in white-ball cricket it is hard to turn the tide... just ask Jason Roy.

The 32-year-old, who has played a huge role in transforming England's white-ball fortunes that culminated in winning the 2019 World Cup, has had a torrid summer so far.

Sunday saw his lean spell continue as he was caught at short fine leg for just 10 in Oval Invincibles' 39-run win at Welsh Fire in The Hundred.

It followed him getting out without scoring in their first game, off the first ball, and a run of 197 runs across 11 England games this summer.

However, despite his bad run of form he has received backing from former England international Kevin Pietersen and Invincibles captain and England batter Sam Billings.

"Jason is 32 years of age and what I'm sick and tired of in this country is writing people off at such a young age," Pietersen said on Sky Sports.

"Jason is a World Cup winner, he's done an unbelievable job for Eoin Morgan [England's former white-ball captain].

"He was told by Eoin, like the whole team, to go and smack the ball. With smacking the ball and being a risk-taker, you are going to fail and when you start failing, failing can happen for a long time.

"If Rob Key [director of England men's cricket] is listening, he is England's best player and he has been England's best player for a number of years. What they should be saying is 'back your best players'.

"If they replace him and put a new guy in for seven T20s in Pakistan and he fails, people start saying 'we need Roy for the World Cup'.

"Leave Roy. Give him the opportunity through the Hundred and T20s and back him.

"They've done it with Zak Crawley in the Test team - Ben Stokes has categorically said Zak Crawley will play for the rest of the season. England need to do that with Jason Roy in the T20 team."

Roy has built a reputation at the top of England's batting order as an intimidating presence, often bullying bowlers and scoring at a high rate, but this summer has seen him also use up balls.

His 76 runs in six Twenty20 internationals came off 98 balls - a strike-rate of 77.55 in comparison to a career 137.61 - while his 121 runs in five ODIs came off 186 balls, another format he has scored at more than a run-a-ball throughout this career.

Roy is under pressure with England having failed to win a series in a home summer for the first time since 2013 and a T20 World Cup taking place in Australia from mid-October.

However, Billings, who has played alongside Roy for England, said it is just "a matter of time" until Roy fires again.

"We have all watched and admired him all his career and seen what he can do to the best bowling attacks in the world," Billings told BBC Sport.

"It is funny. Everyone says go strike at 160, average 40 and take down the best bowler straight away and we take it for a given. Unfortunately this game is a game of peaks and troughs.

"It is just a matter of time with a player like that. He is a match winner and can solely take a game away from anyone."

Jason Roy for England this summer: 4 off 16 - 1st India T20, 0 off 1 - 2nd India T20, 27 off 26 - 3rd India T20, 0 off 5 - 1st India ODI, 23 off 33 - 2nd India ODI, 41 off 31 - 3rd India ODI, 43 off 62 - 1st SA ODI, 14 off 12 - 2nd SA ODI, 8 off 15 - 1st SA T20,20 off 22 - 2nd SA T20, 17 off 18 - 3rd SA T20

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468 comments

  • Comment posted by DG, at 16:16 7 Aug 2022

    Pietersen. Great player, questionable personality (at best) , appalling commentator. Time to give him a rest as well as Roy.

    • Reply posted by Billy Goat Gruff, at 17:47 7 Aug 2022

      Billy Goat Gruff replied:
      He is the polar opposite to some of the best commentators on SKY. Kumar Sangakkara in particular, who is almost as good an analyst as he was a batsman. Which is the highest praise I can give him.
      Mel Jones is also great. Oh, and Simon Doull.

  • Comment posted by Sherrif173354, at 16:32 7 Aug 2022

    Shows how cricket at that level is a closed shop. You can see why certain counties are in trouble …

    If Roy can not be questioned and/or dropped then cricket needs to takes a longer, harder look at itself .. it’s not a game for ‘mates’

    • Reply posted by Jim, at 18:14 7 Aug 2022

      Jim replied:
      You’re gonna hate McCullum then.

  • Comment posted by Hickers, at 17:08 7 Aug 2022

    Pietersen is the worst commentator of a very bad bunch. Talk, talk, talk, banal, banal, banal. Sky cricket coverage has gone down the pan since they got rid of Gower, Botham and Lloyd

    • Reply posted by Whiteknight, at 18:33 7 Aug 2022

      Whiteknight replied:
      ........and Holding and Warne's (premature) departures have created a huge gap.........

  • Comment posted by Mr Castles, at 16:15 7 Aug 2022

    Roy has huge talent but is clearly not our best player as the averages clearly show. KP was also a huge talent on the pitch but sadly not as a pundit.

    • Reply posted by cptJay, at 16:17 7 Aug 2022

      cptJay replied:
      KP's commentary is atrocious !! Don't want him anywhere near a mic.

  • Comment posted by 4588, at 15:53 7 Aug 2022

    Why are we canvassing the opinion of Pietersen, narcissistic self opinionated has been.

    • Reply posted by Randall, at 16:53 7 Aug 2022

      Randall replied:
      Better to listen to the armchair experts of HYS whose cricketing experience amounts to the occasional game for the Dog & Duck 3rd XI right?

  • Comment posted by Slowleftarm, at 17:28 7 Aug 2022

    Don’t bother listening to KP. Great player but a simply dreadful commentator and pundit. Sky please get rid.

    • Reply posted by cb, at 09:21 8 Aug 2022

      cb replied:
      Agreed. Loved watching KP play, tried to switch off from his commentary, its like builders drilling nxt door... Roy needs to be taken out of the firing line and taken to the nets to work on his technique, its shot... bowlers have figured just don't bowl channel or wide, bowl into him, he can't play straight.

  • Comment posted by WordtotheWise, at 16:13 7 Aug 2022

    Kev's a mate of Jason's so it's not a robust opinion. The stats speak for themselves. Roy's stealing a living at the moment. He has talent but needs time out to work on his technique rather than continue to disappoint in the hit and giggle franchise Hundred.

    • Reply posted by Randall, at 19:03 7 Aug 2022

      Randall replied:
      So where is he going to work on that then if he isn't playing in the Hundred, slogging teenagers and has beens around in the RLODC?

  • Comment posted by D1677858353018, at 16:01 7 Aug 2022

    I'll leave Roy alone when a certain irritating South African born former player agrees to stop his annoying and childish "commentating"

    • Reply posted by Roughrider, at 07:38 8 Aug 2022

      Roughrider replied:
      Hey...what's all the fuss about? It's not as if the hundred is actually cricket! You wouldn't evaluate the performance of a 'pig in pads' in that utter tripe!

  • Comment posted by Steve Ashfield, at 17:29 7 Aug 2022

    Out of form = Out the team.

  • Comment posted by DG, at 16:08 7 Aug 2022

    So on KPs logic we keep playing him all the way to the World Cup and beyond regardless. There has to be a limit to backing players when there is a lot of talent around. Move Bairstow up play Vince? Oh and see a doctor about your verbal diarrhoea KP during the hundred. Less is more.

    • Reply posted by The crux of the biscuit, at 16:59 7 Aug 2022

      The crux of the biscuit replied:
      Not this Vince nonsense again, he's had chances and clearly wasn't good enough.

  • Comment posted by Hawzeeboy, at 15:44 7 Aug 2022

    So much wrong in what Pietersen is saying. You still have to assess the ability of players even after undoubted successes. Roy has developed a poor technique which is limiting his undoubted ability. If he can't (or won't) change then he needs to be dropped.

    • Reply posted by lee, at 15:56 7 Aug 2022

      lee replied:
      Because it says “for England”

  • Comment posted by Terrible twos, at 16:38 7 Aug 2022

    Sorry, KP, you are wrong; Roy needs a breather.

    • Reply posted by The crux of the biscuit, at 16:56 7 Aug 2022

      The crux of the biscuit replied:
      About a fifteen year breather.

  • Comment posted by HarrierMart, at 15:32 7 Aug 2022

    So you can't point out that a player is out of form now? Nothing worse than KP on comms

  • Comment posted by alan, at 16:03 7 Aug 2022

    Please ask your commentators to be less verbal and let us enjoy the cricket, especially Kevin Pietersen

    • Reply posted by TravB, at 21:55 7 Aug 2022

      TravB replied:
      Especially the ones on the radio. Just shut up and let me enjoy the cricket.

  • Comment posted by Johnap, at 16:10 7 Aug 2022

    I think cricket would benefit more if Mr Pietersen left the stage entirely and never returns. This is a man who was a problem while he played. For what good you have done - in God's name go.

    • Reply posted by hector300, at 17:03 7 Aug 2022

      hector300 replied:
      I bet you were cheering KP when he won the Ashes for England in 2005. ‘For what good you have done?’. This was a player who changed cricket with the outrageous shots, such as switch-hitting, which are now the norm. I think it would be better if you went away.

  • Comment posted by stellatorty, at 17:28 7 Aug 2022

    Leave Roy OUT!

  • Comment posted by wn87, at 17:11 7 Aug 2022

    Jason Roy should not be playing for England on current form. Salt and Vince both better options.

    • Reply posted by Freddie Boy, at 18:01 7 Aug 2022

      Freddie Boy replied:
      Absolutely. James Vince has been awesome in the T20 Blast this summer and as Hampshire captain, has been such a motivator in the field. I think he would excel as the 1 day captain. But problem is when he had a bad run in the England team he was discarded. Probably something to do with him not playing for Surrey or Yorkshire.

  • Comment posted by Airbag, at 15:50 7 Aug 2022

    How come you’re not allowed to say “third man” but can remind us every 5 minutes that this is “the men’s hundred!?” 🤪

    • Reply posted by Good Kind Crake, at 17:34 7 Aug 2022

      Good Kind Crake replied:
      What I don’t understand is why it is now fine, cow and extra. Do they not want to offend legs, corners and covers?

  • Comment posted by D1677239675817, at 15:11 7 Aug 2022

    No doubting Roy’s quality, obviously his confidence is low but the main issue seems to be application and shot selection at the moment.

    • Reply posted by Jersey Tomo, at 15:49 7 Aug 2022

      Jersey Tomo replied:
      Agree .
      However with out second rate bowling attack we can’t afford to carry any out of form batsmen in the side.I am not suggesting dropping him from the squad but the likes of Salt should get a game instead.

  • Comment posted by Daniel, at 17:10 7 Aug 2022

    Sorry KP but Jason Roy isn't good enough. Chance, after chance, after chance. Enough is enough, time to go Jason!

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