Jason Roy has remarked that losing Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer for the T20 World Cup is “certainly a shame” ahead of England’s first match against West Indies on October 23 in Dubai. He also stated that despite the absence of a few important players, England remains the favourite to win the tournament.
England lost by four wickets to West Indies in the 2016 T20 World Cup final, and the Eoin Morgan-led team will be hoping to get off to a winning start against the same opponent in their opening match on October 23 in Dubai.
In the showpiece tournament, England will be without important players Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. Stokes, who was instrumental in England’s first ODI World Cup triumph in 2019, is out of the team due to mental health issues and a finger injury. After suffering an elbow injury, Archer has ruled himself out. Sam Curran was also left out of the T20 World Cup team due to a lower-back injury acquired during the IPL 2021.
Meanwhile, Jason Roy has remarked that the team’s loss of Stokes and Archer for the ICC mega event is a huge loss. Despite the absence of important players from the national squad, England’s opening batter believes the T20 World Cup is still a foregone conclusion.
“I wouldn’t call it an issue; it’s a pity. It’s a shame they’re not here, but you know they’re on the same path of becoming strong and well again,” Roy, who will play in the Abu Dhabi T10 league for the Delhi Bulls, said during a virtual engagement today.
“When you look at our squad depth now, the guys we have, it’s still quite amazing.” The guys performed admirably in the warm-up game, and they’ve been working incredibly hard, so I don’t believe it’s a cause for concern.
“We have guys who will unquestionably stand up and rise to the situation.” They’ve got more than enough talent. “I can assure you from my training that we have more than enough talent to get us to the finish line,” Roy remarked.
The 31-year-old said that the just ended IPL 2021 will surely assist the players in the showpiece event, when asked about England’s preparation for the T20 World Cup. Players have already been used to the UAE fields as a result of their participation in the lucrative competition, he noted.
“I don’t believe so.” On the majority of tracks, we’ve demonstrated our ability. The pitches aren’t terrible; they’re just a little sluggish, which isn’t an issue.
“With the amount of training we’ve had, the camp we’ve had, and obviously a lot of the lads playing in the IPL, there’s a lot of input and information going around about how to battle anything you could come against,” says the captain.
“I believe the lads now have the ability to combat whatever pitch was provided,” he maintained.
“Moving from the IPL to the T20 World Cup in 2021 offers a lot of advantages. We’ve gotten a feel for things after practising and playing on these fields and spending a lot of time with players from other clubs. Boys who have competed in the IPL have a significant advantage,” Roy explained.
The right-handed opening batsman is optimistic about winning matches at the Super 12 stage, and he also believes England’s top order has several match-winners.
“We’ve been practising hard, and apart from those in the IPL, a lot of cricketers from England haven’t played much in the previous several months.”
“Everything is coming together nicely, and they are getting into the swing of things.” Every batter in our top order, in my opinion, has the potential to win games. “I’m really looking forward to seeing it,” he added.
England is in Group 1 of the Super 12s, alongside Australia, South Africa, and the West Indies, with two additional teams to join after Round 1.
