With a career-saving century on Friday in Bloemfontein, Jason Roy put an end to what he called a “terrible year.” He later acknowledged that the irate feelings he let out upon hitting three figures had been “kept away in a cupboard” throughout his run of poor performance.
Although Roy’s 79-ball century, his first against a Full Member nation since the 2019 World Cup, was his 11th in ODIs, it may have changed his chances of helping England defend their 50-over title in India later this year, even though it wasn’t enough to win in the first game of their tour of South Africa.
In total, he hit 11 fours and four sixes as he became the first England player to reach fifty in 15 innings, going back to the tour of the Netherlands in June 2022. Roy acknowledged that, for once, his personal gratification overshadowed the disappointment of losing when the teams were back in action on Sunday for the second ODI, also at Bloemfontein.
The morning after the game, he stated, “I’m feeling quite well.” “Actually, I only got about five hours of sleep, which wasn’t all that restful. It’s been a tumultuous few months, so I was a little overwhelmed with emotions and such. Though that was the nicest five hours of sleep I’ve ever had, I woke up incredibly well.
Yes, there was some fury surrounding the whole situation simply because I put everything in the back of my mind, locked a few things up in a cabinet, and then went out and played in a manner that I hadn’t in a while. It was a pretty wonderful sensation, but I was disappointed that I hadn’t reached that state of mind earlier.
In contrast to their preparation for the 2019 World Cup, England’s options to hone their team for India are few. The upcoming trip of Bangladesh will be their last opportunity to practice the 50-over format before the September visits from New Zealand and Ireland for three ODIs apiece.
Roy, though, does not believe that his resurgence against South Africa would ensure his place on the World Cup roster.
He responded, “No, not at all, not at all, I don’t see it that way. “I’ve played in many games during my career and have been around for a while, but even after a horrible year, it’s possible to fade into obscurity really fast. We must continue to work hard and maintain the team’s culture because the upcoming year will be very important for us in 50-over cricket.
I hope to play in the World Cup, but each step must be taken at a time. In international cricket, the series and the season have just one game each, therefore I need to keep hitting runs to get this team back to where we were in 2019.
“It’s been a terrible year; it doesn’t matter how the year starts; what matters is how it ends. I believe I had a good start to last year until things started to go south. All I have to do is keep striving and trying to be optimistic.”
Roy, who played for Paarl Royals this month and posted a top-score of 33 in eight matches, has shown no sign of a return to form. Roy claimed that having his teammate and England captain Jos Buttler at his side at the moment had been essential to maintaining composure.
With Jos, I have a terrific connection both on and off the field. We communicate openly, and our recent time together in the SA20 league has been beneficial, he added. “Those chats were excellent and helped me to free myself up for these innings I just played,” the author says of his many views and opinions about how his previous year had gone.