3 reasons why England dropping Jason Roy from their 2023 World Cup squad is the wrong move

Jason Roy's hopes of taking part in England's title defense at the 2023 World Cup in India were shattered after his exclusion from their final squad for the global ODI event.

A member of England's title-winning team in 2019, Roy was omitted in favor of Harry Brook as the solitary change to the provisional squad that was named in August.

A veteran of 116 ODIs, Roy, 33, was expected to open for England during their recent four-match series against New Zealand. A back spasm meant that the Surrey opener was sidelined and now, he has been left out altogether as England look to hold onto their title in India next month.

It is important to note though that Roy is also out of a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) having agreed to terminate the same to feature in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023.

It's not the first time that England have made a tough call on a player who was named in their provisional World Cup squad. Back in 2019, David Willey had to vacate his spot for Jofra Archer, who eventually sent down the Super Over that saw England defeat New Zealand in the final at Lord's under dramatic circumstances.

On the back of Roy's exclusion from England's 2023 World Cup squad, we look at three reasons as to why it is the wrong move:

---

#1 Roy's form in 2023

2022 was a forgettable year for Roy, who seemed like a walking wicket against the new ball. Continued struggles in the T20 format saw him discarded from England's setup ahead of the T20 World Cup even as he was persisted within the ODI format.

Having averaged 33.50 in 11 ODIs in 2022, he bettered the number to 46.33 in six outings this year including two centuries to his name. Having seemingly returned to his best with a good show in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), one felt he was clicking into gear at the right time for the World Cup.

His replacement Brook has made a splash in T20 cricket although he hasn't grabbed his limited opportunities in the 50-over format just yet. It's quite clearly a brave decision to turn to him ahead of Roy on this count with the World Cup just days away.

---

#2 Superior ability against spin compared to Brook

Brook's woes against spin stuck out like a sore thumb when he endured a wretched outing in IPL 2023. Save for a hundred on a flat Eden Gardens deck, his returns left plenty to be desired even as he was shunted up and down the order quite regularly by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Pit that against Roy, who isn't necessarily known for his spin game but has shown excellent signs of improvement against that style of bowling and it's a surprise that he was left out.

One of the major shots in his arsenal in recent times has been the slog sweep. He displayed that to great effect against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) en route to a 19-ball fifty before tearing into Shahbaz Ahmed of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as well in the powerplay in this year's IPL.

Much before that, he paced his way to a sensational 124-ball 132 against Bangladesh in the second ODI in Mirpur on what was a tacky surface with enough assistance for spin.

It was a clear sign that Roy had put in work on that aspect of his game and it was bound to come in handy in India, where countering spin is going to be massive to England's cause of defending their title.

All of this only makes the opener's exclusion from the 2023 World Cup squad even more baffling.

---

#3 He would have offered England an X-factor

Roy has been a massive component of England's white-ball revolution after their 2015 World Cup debacle. He enjoyed a terrific run at the World Cup in 2019 too, tallying 443 runs in seven innings at an average of 63.28 and a strike rate of 115.36.

His partnership with Jonny Bairstow has for long been a successful one although one can fairly argue that Dawid Malan is undroppable from England's starting XI at this point. Even if Roy was to be picked as a backup option alone, not too many players on the bench inspire the kind of confidence he does.

Fearless and known to bat with raw aggression and intent, he has the ability to take the game away from the opposition within no time. In a mega event such as the World Cup, that X-factor can seldom fly under the radar when the stakes are high and the pressure is intense.

He has been there and done it at the international level quite regularly. For the kind of experience he boasts of across the world, England may have just missed a trick in not backing one of their bona fide superstars for the 2023 World Cup.

---

Have England made a big mistake in leaving Jason Roy out of their 2023 World Cup contingent? Have your say in the comments section below!

---