- Thursday, April 18, 2024
By: Sarwar Alam
England’s top scorer in the T20 internationals in India Jason Roy feels he is closing on a “big score” he is desperate for having fallen in love with the game again in Australia’s Big Bash.
Roy, 30, hit 49 in England’s crushing victory in the first game in Ahmedabad and then 46 in the followup which India won equally emphatically.
He has now scored more than 40 in five of his last nine Twenty20 innings — a dramatic turn around from a barren 2020 when he failed to pass 32.
“It hasn’t gone quite as planned for the last year,” Roy said blaming the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on his life and cutting his playing time.
“It has been nice to get a few runs, a few out in the middle, but I am still looking for that big score.
“As everyone knows those 40s are great and they look good on the scoreboard but to get those 180s and 190s — very competitive totals in T20 — you need somebody going and getting those big scores.
“So as happy as I am with it there is still a lot to improve on. My job is to not mess about,” he added.
Roy, a certain starter in Wednesday’s third game which will be played behind closed doors because of a surge in coronavirus numbers in India, said his attitude had changed taking part in Australia’s premier T20 event.
“Since the Big Bash really I have really started loving my cricket again which is a good feeling,” he said.
“The moment I got to the Big Bash, I had 20-odd people watching me in the nets, and I had a sense of an adrenaline rush and belonging again, and it was the most incredible feeling.
“I never fell out of love with the game, but playing in front of crowds makes you realise that they mean a huge amount to us as sportsmen.”
– ‘Easier said than done’ –
Roy, who is just 15 runs from becoming only the fifth England player to pass 1,000 T20 runs, said he was also confident his side could start winning again against India despite their seven wicket hammering on Sunday.
“It is easier said than done,” he admitted.
“But the way we started the series in that first game was a bit more comprehensive than what they gave to us,” he said.
“I am very confident we can bounce back.”
Tuesday’s third game is expected to see more of a spinning wicket and England captain Eoin Morgan has indicated that Moeen Ali could play his first game of the series.
Morgan said the track he had inspected had red soil “like Ayers Rock” that he predicted would turn.
