ICC T20 World Cup 2021: 3 players who can replace Jason Roy and open the batting for England against New Zealand

England last played against New Zealand in a semifinal at the ICC T20 World Cup in 2016. That day, Jason Roy, who displayed some flamboyant batting in his 78-run knock, guided the Three Lions to a comprehensive victory in Delhi.

However, unfortunately Eoin Morgan’s side will take on the Kiwis in the semifinals without their premium T20I opener this time around. Roy suffered an injury to his left calf while attempting a single in their final Super 12 encounter against South Africa on Saturday (November 6). The injury in Sharjah ruled him out of the competition, with James Vince taking his spot in the squad.

Roy joined left-arm pacer Tymal Mills, who was earlier ruled out of the tournament with a thigh strain while playing against Sri Lanka last Monday (November 1). Despite Roy and Mills missing out, England are still a formidable side, starting as marginal favorites against the Black Caps in the teams' semi-final encounter on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.

England succumbed to their first defeat at this year’s ICC T20 World Cup when they lost to South Africa by 10 runs on Saturday. The Three Lions will need to regroup quickly if they wish to take down New Zealand to reach their 2nd consecutive T20 World Cup final.

On that note, let’s take a closer look at three players who can partner Jos Buttler at the top of the order for England in their semi-final encounter against Kane Williamson's Kiwis.

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#1 Jonny Bairstow

Opening the batting in absence of Jason Roy can propel Jonny Bairstow to play with freedom.

Jonny Bairstow, who batted at No.4 for England in the Super 12 stage of this year's tournament, is an automatic choice to replace Jason Roy at the top. The right-handed batsman opens the batting in ODI cricket alongside Roy and is a like-for-like replacement for his injured one-day opening partner.

Bairstow may not be England’s first choice opener in the T20Is. But having successfully opened the batting alongside David Warner in the 2019 and 2020 editions of the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he has loads of experience opening the batting in T20 cricket.

Bairstow is an aggressive stroke-player who is equally good not only against pace but also against spin. With Buttler being the more watchful partner, Bairstow, just like Roy, can launch an onslaught right from the word go to provide England with a quickfire start against the Kiwis.

Batting in the middle order, Bairstow hasn’t set the stage on fire as he would have liked so far at this year’s tournament. A forced promotion to open the batting could liberate the 32-year-old from his struggles in the middle order and propel him to play with a sense of absolute freedom at the top.

The complete list of all T20 World Cup 2021 teams is available here.

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#2 Dawid Malan

England's Dawid Malan in action during their match against South Africa.

England’s Dawid Malan is the No.1 batsman in the ICC T20I rankings. But the southpaw has struggled to express himself on slow, low and spinning tracks like the ones in UAE.

Malan is more of a touch and feel player. His struggles in the middle overs, especially against the spinners, have been quite evident not only in the ongoing T20 World Cup, but also during England’s tour of India in March earlier this year.

If Malan opens the batting alongside Buttler against New Zealand, it could provide England with an ideal lefty-righty combination, composed of both caution and aggression.

Making use of the field restrictions during the powerplay, the 34-year-old southpaw can use the pace of New Zealand quicks to maneuver the ball into the gaps. Not only that, Malan could also lift the ball into empty spaces outside the 30-yard inner ring and collect some important runs with reduced risk levels.

With spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi in the New Zealand ranks, the left-hander will also enjoy the ball turning into him if the Kiwis decide to operate with spin in the powerplay.

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#3 Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali has been the floater in this stacked England batting line-up.

Moeen Ali has been one of the most improved players over the years for England, especially in white-ball cricket.

While Ali is a technically sound batsman, he is also a pinch hitter and a smart, counter-attacking player. His batting prowess was on display when he batted at No.3 for the victorious Chennai Super Kings this season in the IPL.

Ali is an in-form batsman and his knock of 37 runs off 27 balls against the Proteas should give the English team management enough confidence to try him out as an opener. The high-pressure semifinal clash with New Zealand could prove to be a good opportunity to do that for the present as well as the future.

While England's team management can debate over promoting Liam Livingstone to open the batting, the hard-hitting right-hander seems to have beautifully settled within his role as a finisher. The way Livingstone treated South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada with disdain on Saturday during the end overs is proof of how well he has settled into the position.

With Eoin Morgan's inconsistent form also an important factor, England need to continue with Livingstone as a finisher rather than an opener.

After suffering an ignominious defeat in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2016 against West Indies, England are aiming to go one step further this time around. Barring a minor blip against the Proteas on Saturday, the Three Lions have lived up to the tag of being favorites so far at this year’s tournament. They have performed extremely well despite some of their key players such as Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer missing out.

The loss of Jason Roy due to injury at this stage of the tournament is certainly a blow for Morgan’s side. But one can expect England to get over the line against New Zealand as they eye their second T20 World Cup title at this year’s tournament in the UAE.