Jason Roy's 3 best T20 knocks

Think of devastating opening batters in white-ball cricket today, and Jason Roy is bound to be right up there. The England opener is a maverick batter in every way possible, with a complete array of innovative and powerful shots to turn to.

Born in South Africa but plying his trade in the United Kingdom, Roy was a pivotal component of England's white-ball redemption in the aftermath of the ODI World Cup debacle in 2015. Over time, he has established himself as a guaranteed match-winner in both ODIs and T20s, forming a destructive opening combination with Alex Hales and then Jonny Bairstow.

A poor run of form might have seen Roy discarded from England's T20 World Cup squad in 2022, but he remains a massive part of their plans for the ODI World Cup to be held in India later this year.

Roy also plies his trade for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is currently representing their sister franchise Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) in the Major League Cricket tournament.

His overall T20 numbers make for exciting reading - 8486 runs at an average of 28 and a strike rate of 142.12. 1522 of those runs have come in English colors, even though the average and strike rate drop to 24.15 and 137.61 respectively.

As the dashing opener turns 33 on Friday, July 21, it's a good time to look back at his three best knocks in all T20 cricket.

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#1 145* off 63 in PSL 2023

Roy's reputation as a destructive match-winner in T20 cricket hit a crescendo during the Pakistan Super League 2023 clash between the Quetta Gladiators and the Peshawar Zalmi in Rawalpindi.

On a batting paradise and with extremely short boundaries favoring the batters, the Zalmi whipped up 240/2 thanks to skipper Babar Azam's 65-ball 115 and Saim Ayub's 34-ball 74. Even on a track as good as the one laid out at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, 241 was far too tall an ask.

Not for Roy, though. There was only one way the Gladiators were going to approach it, and the Englishman operated in sixth gear from the word go. No bowler was spared as a barrage of fours and sixes put the target within realistic reach.

Roy raced along to a century and didn't stop until he got the job done. The Zalmi were left wondering what possibly went wrong as he butchered an unbeaten 145 off just 63 deliveries, with 20 fours and five sixes against his name.

Not only did Roy smash a six to finish it off, but he also did so with as many as 10 deliveries to spare. He was truly Quetta's Gladiator on a manic evening in Rawalpindi!

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#2 84 off 37 in the T20 Blast, 2018

The London Derby is often a momentous occasion in the T20 Blast. The Oval saw Surrey host Middlesex in what turned out to be a run-fest, with the visitors piling up 221/5 upon opting to bat first. Leading the way was Paul Stirling, who blitzed his way to 109 off 58 deliveries.

Roy opened the innings for Surrey alongside Aaron Finch, and of course, carnage ensued. It rained boundaries and sixes aplenty as no less than 98 runs were scored off the powerplay. Spreading the field didn't really help Middlesex as the opening duo continued on their merry ways.

By the time the partnership was broken off the penultimate ball of the 14th over, the score read 194. Roy couldn't finish the job as he departed for a 37-ball 84, but Finch ended unbeaten on 117 to ensure that Surrey got the job done with four overs to spare.

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#3 43 off 16 in T20 World Cup 2016

England's T20 World Cup campaign was on the line at the halfway mark of their Super 10 clash against South Africa. Having lost their tournament opener to the West Indies, the bowlers received a shellacking as the Proteas posted a mammoth 229/4 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Under Eoin Morgan, England had preached and practiced a refreshing brand of cricket. That's how they approached this chase as well. Roy began with four boundaries in the first over before following up a hat-trick of Alex Hales boundaries in the second with a four and a six. Oh, and those two overs were sent down by Kagiso Rabada and Dale Steyn, no less!

England continued to throw caution to the wind but lost wickets along the way. Roy was nearly unstoppable in the powerplay before an attempted scoop shot off Rabada backfired. He departed for a 16-ball 43 but it was this innings that allowed England to get well ahead of the asking rate, having racked up 89 in the powerplay.

Thereafter, Joe Root calculated the rest of the chase brilliantly. While there were a few nervous moments towards the end, England managed to scamper past the finish line with two deliveries to spare. To this date, it remains the highest successful chase in T20 World Cup history.

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Which of these Jason Roy knocks is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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