Slight change in technique helps England opener Jason Roy hit the jackpot

Ajit Vijaykumar 07:44 17/06/2018
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  • England opener Jason Roy had gone 10 ODI innings without a fifty before Saturday. It was more a concern for the batsman than the team because England in the last 12 months had won 12 out of 17 matches with four defeats.

    Roy and the England management recognised an issue with his technique – reliance on his bottom hand and preference for shots on the on-side. That works well on flat wickets but any movement off the pitch becomes too much to handle.

    According to reports, Roy teamed up with England batting coach Graham Thorpe and worked on his off-side shots using his top hand. Playing strokes on the off side and down the ground is generally considered the safer option for batsmen but they always try to venture towards other parts of the ground.

    In the second ODI against Australia, Roy hit 120 from 108 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. According to stats compiled by CricViz, 67 per cent of Roy’s runs came on the off-side which is the second highest tally for him in 12 months.

    This is not to say Roy will abandon his leg-side play. Roy remains a power hitter and limited overs top order batsmen have to master the heave over the onside along with flicks and flat-batted hoicks. However, his latest efforts should allow Roy to get confidence back into his batting before attempting more adventurous strokes.

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