Jason Roy is back, and it spells trouble for the rest of the world

For much of 2022, Jason Roy cut a frustrated figure for England in white-ball cricket. He scratched around during his stays at the crease, barely got the ball off the square and whenever he did get starts, he found a way to wither it away. That was in stark contrast to how people have come to know a cricketer who competes in a short list to be England’s greatest ODI match-winner ever.

On Friday, though, there were more than a few signs that he was getting back to his best. Among all the franchise T20 league frenzy, an ODI series between England and South Africa, especially before it began, could have slipped under the radar. Roy, however, ensured that it did not.

Chasing 299 for victory, he set the stage ablaze with a belligerent hundred – the sort of knock that has made him a mainstay in the England side ever since he made his international bow. His ton, in fact, came off 79 balls and arrived on a surface where most batters were struggling to convert their starts. But here he was - dominating every bowler, and providing an illustration that he is far from finished.

Jason Roy was superb against South Africa in the 1st ODI

The knock, in isolation, was quite special. It was glittered with strokes that has made the England opener a household name. He drove and punched through the off side, pounced on anything short, was severe off his pads and was not afraid to go downtown when the ball was pitched in his hitting arc. The most refreshing aspect, however, was the confidence he exuded.

Till a few days ago, he was struggling in the SA20, opening the batting alongside Jos Buttler for the Paarl Royals and looking far from the ODI behemoth he deserves to be remembered as. But at Bloemfontein on Friday, he looked every bit the opener that was so crucial at the 2019 ODI World Cup and is so pivotal to England’s ODI World Cup defence in India later this year.

The right-handed batter often brings a lot of intangibles to the fore. A team-player in its truest sense, he rarely worries about individual accolades and puts the collective at the forefront. Quite often, it means that he is not able to register as many hundreds because in the pursuit of quick runs, he takes risks and tries to put the opposition under pressure.

That feature stood out during England’s victorious 2019 ODI World Cup campaign too. The opener began the tournament in sprightly fashion, scoring a brisk hundred against Bangladesh to help England emerge from the disappointment of losing to Pakistan. He then missed a few games – a phase where England lost to Australia and Sri Lanka.

When he returned, England looked a completely different outfit. He notched up three consecutive fifties, which included an astonishing 85 off just 65 balls against Australia in the semi-final – the kind of innings that told Australia and the rest of the world that when he was at the crease, he would be calling the shots, irrespective of whatever was happening around him.

In fact, whenever he scores runs, England rarely lose. The 1st ODI against South Africa was the first time he had crossed the three-figure mark in ODIs and England had lost. He has managed a score of fifty or more on 32 occasions in ODI cricket. England have only lost five times.

Others around him also thrive. Jonny Bairstow is a perfect example. Bairstow is quite a marauder himself but there is nothing he likes more than opening alongside Roy, partly because of the camaraderie they share, but largely because of how they complement each other beautifully.

Among partnerships to have scored a minimum of 1000 ODI runs together, Bairstow and Roy have the second-best run-rate of all time – only behind Eoin Morgan and Buttler. They also average 55.72 together, portraying that they are fairly consistent and lay the foundation for England to continue attacking throughout their innings. But among all of this, it is the intangibles that can never be quantified that sets Roy apart, especially when partnering Bairstow at the top of the order.

Bairstow and Roy are the cricketing equivalent of the famous Brothers of Destruction from the WWE. Bairstow, because of his indomitable record, comes close to The Undertaker, and Roy, because of his eccentric brilliance, resembles Kane. On most days, Bairstow will get you. On other days, Roy will. But there will be some days when both will come at you, and as a bowling unit, all you can hope is for them to get bored and throw it away. And if they do not, well, destruction will ensue.

This particular pair causes mayhem like very few can, and like very few have, over the years. Bairstow, barring a calamitous injury or loss of form, will be there in India as England look to defend their ODI World Cup crown. Prior to Friday, it was unclear if England thought Roy was still good enough to partner Bairstow like he did for much of their 2019 campaign.

He is, because of how he plays, prone to slightly elongated barren patches. During those phases, he looks anything but a top-level opener – something most England experienced first-hand in 2022.

But the thing with time is that it changes. And a new year has seemingly brought forth an older and very dominant version of Roy. Those traits helped England win their first-ever World Cup on home soil four years ago, and it might just be what makes or break their upcoming World Cup defence.

England have, to their credit, stuck with Roy a lot longer than most international teams would have. Now, Roy has given them a whole catalogue of reasons to keep doing so.