Abu Dhabi: England opener Jason Roy may have cemented his place in the ODI and T20 squad but the zenith of cricket — Test, has still eluded him.
At a time when England is basking in the glory having sealed the Test series against Sri Lanka by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, Roy is in the UAE trying to make a mark with the England Lions against Pakistan A.
The 28-year-old is well aware that only solid performances would keep him in the reckoning and he wants to leave no stones unturned.
“I was asked to come and play in this four-day game and obviously I have said 100 per cent,” said Roy, who scored a 59 and 19 in the side’s four-wicket loss.
“Any chance to try and push my case to play a bit of Test cricket and I’m going to take that opportunity. Anyway I was going to play in the T10 here,” added Roy, who will be leading the challenge under compatriot Sam Billings for Bengal Tigers in T10.
Roy who plays for Surrey in County Championship as a middle-order batsman has figured in two matches for them last season and scored a 128 against Essex and 63 against Somerset. However, he is confident of playing in any position if given an opportunity in Tests.
“Opening hasn’t been put on my radar. Three is put on my radar and some of the other spots.
“We have a pretty solid set-up at the moment and I have to push for my place and see how it ends up. Wherever I get a chance to represent for my country I’ll do it,” asserted Roy, adding that, if he can keep scoring runs then ‘his opportunity will come’.
“I need to score some big runs and there’s nothing else I can do. It doesn’t work like that unless I score runs and wait for my turn.
“Got a decent knock here in the first innings and got run out in the second innings, bit of a confusion between me and my mate.
“Would have liked to carry on and get some more runs but that’s how cricket goes some times. So just have to crack on, knuckle down, big opportunity for me, but my two innings are done,” said Roy, whose formula for doing well in franchise cricket is simple — turning up and giving his best, irrespective of which team he is playing.
“I get put into a squad that more often than not, every team I have been in I have absolutely loved. Touring the world and playing the great games is a lot of fun. I got to just turn up and do the best for the team,” said Roy, who feels England’s success against Sri Lanka has a lot to do with the hard work the team has put over the years.
“It’s been four-five years of hard work going into Lions practice games and stuff out there against India, Bangladesh and even going and working in the subcontinent really hard. We are reaping the rewards now,” says Roy, who is also confident of England doing well in the 2019 World Cup in their own backyards.
“We need to stay focused, stay level-headed and keep our feet on the ground. That’s what we have been doing for the last 3-4 years. We have been exceptional, of course there have been some ups and downs. I think we need to stay level-headed and take the upward path.”
