After a mixed summer in which he bounced back from international struggles with form in the Vitality Blast, Jason Roy is ready to take down South Africa.
Roy played six ODIs and missed England’s T20 programme this summer through injury but more than made up for that with 206 runs from just five innings as Surrey ended runners-up in the T20 competition.
That included 66 from 47 deliveries in the showpiece final at Edgbaston after 56 in the quarter-final to take Surrey to Finals Day in the first place. Roy was then due to head to the Indian Premier League but opted out of that journey this time around.
Now he’s refreshed and ready for a huge 12 months leading in to a T20 World Cup that English sights are set firmly on.
Our explosive opener is just one high quality batsman in the England lineup taking on South Africa, with Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and number one ranked batsman Dawid Malan also in the top order.
After this tour, Roy will go straight to Australia for the Big Bash League before the build-up to the 2021 English summer really kicks off.
“I finished the summer on a bit of a high,” said Roy.
“It was a tough summer. Injury plus a new environment that is completely alien to me and who I am as a person. Mentally it was very tough. Physically, getting injured wasn’t great.
“It was one of those summers to go alright, this is where you are at. Leave it, push it aside, don’t go to the IPL, sort yourself out and come back stronger. I feel great for it.”
With the talent which currently surrounds him in the England team and plenty of English firepower ready to express themselves in T20 tournaments around the globe this winter, expect to see the best of Roy as that World Cup nears.
“The amount of talent that is around us. There is not one person. Everyone is getting pushed to their limits. No one can rest on their laurels. It’s one of those amazing squads.
“I have got to get myself physically fit, mentally fit and then I’ve got to score some runs. It’s as simple as that.”
You can watch Jason, along with Sam Curran, Tom Curran and Reece Topley in the England squad in South Africa on Sky Sports.
The Big Bash League, live on BT Sport to UK viewers, will feature Jason, Tom Curran and Vitality Blast Player of the Year Will Jacks.
The ballot is now open to see England play at The Kia Oval in 2021 with a Test Match against India and ODI versus Sri Lanka to come.
