Jason Roy replacement: The English opening batter had suffered a calf injury during their last Super 12 match against South Africa.
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ECB (England Cricket Board) have confirmed the ruling out of opening batter Jason Roy from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Roy, 31, had torn his calf while batting in England’s last Super 12 match against South Africa last week.
“I’m gutted to be ruled out of the World Cup. It is a bitter pill to swallow. I will be staying on to support the boys, and hopefully, we can go all the way and lift that trophy. It has been an unbelievable journey so far, and we have to continue expressing ourselves and concentrating on us,” Roy said in an official statement published on ECB’s website.
Roy, who is a vital part of England’s white-ball squads, was their second-highest run-scorer behind Jos Buttler (240) scoring 123 runs in five innings at an average and strike rate of 30.75 and 138.20 respectively in this World Cup.
Roy has expressed confidence in regaining fitness to be on the flight to West Indies for a tour comprising of five T20Is and three Tests next year.
Jason Roy replacement
Batter James Vince, who was with the English squad among the three reserves, has been named as Roy’s replacement for the remainder of the World Cup. Vince, 30, had last played a T20I during England’s tour of New Zealand in 2019.
In 12 T20Is for England, Vince’s 340 runs have come at an average and strike rate of 28.33 and 123.63 respectively including a half-century. In 12 T20s for Kent in Vitality Blast 2021, Vince had scored 373 runs at an average of 31.08 and a strike rate of 135.63 with the help of one century and half-century each.
With Sam Billings already in the squad, it is unlikely that Vince will be included into the Playing XI for the first semi-final between England and New Zealand on Wednesday.
As far as partnering vice-captain Buttler at the top of the order is concerned, England have multiple options from the current XI in Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali.
