England's Jason Roy should be replaced by Jonny Bairstow for the rest of ICC Champions Trophy

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  • Jonny Bairstow has been in good form recently [Getty Images]

    The cricket field is no place for those who struggle to hide their body language.

    Steve Smith was either chewing his lip, shaking his head or blowing out his cheeks – an uninspiring posture that went hand-in-hand with his unimaginative captaincy on Saturday.

    In contrast, England were relaxed and emboldened by their skipper Eoin Morgan who, despite approaching the crease far earlier than he would have hoped, never stopped going for Australia’s jugular.

    It may be hard to resist those positive vibes, but perhaps Morgan can be accused of romanticism if he ever believed the stranded Jason Roy could also be swept up by them.

    Roy has kept it together quite impressively on his frequent walks back to the pavilion – save for raising his eyes to the sky – but you do not need a degree in kinesics to read his emotions at the crease.

    Roy’s reaction after missing a straight one off Mitchell Starc was to witness a man crumple. Shoulders slightly hunched, realisation dawning in his eyes even as he scrambled for a single in vain.

    He hurriedly looked back to Alex Hales – who did not turn around – before signalling for the review. It was rushed, unconvincing. He knew he was a goner.

    You fear the situation has now gone far past the tipping point. Some – myself included – thought Morgan was right to stay the course on Roy, but the man himself knows that he currently belongs nowhere near the team. So too will his teammates.

    To tell him to go find his feet back with his county, Surrey, is far more a mark of respect than urging him to bravely fight on. Roy is a scorer of three ODI centuries – he does not deserve to be patronised as some have-a-go hero. Sadly his confidence has hit such a nadir that Joe Public could almost reasonably claim to be doing a better job.

    Roy’s heir apparent, Jonny Bairstow, has kept a lid on his own body language as chief water boy but no matter his frustration up until this point, he will have some sympathy with Roy.

    The Yorkshireman – not all that long before he toppled Andy Flower’s record of most Test runs scored by a wicket-keeper in a calendar year – was seen as a soft target in England’s batting line-up.

    JASON ROY'S LAST 8 ODIS

    • Runs: 51
    • Average: 6.37
    • Highest Score: 20
    • Strike Rate: 52.04

    Perceived as weak against the short ball and possessing a frustrating tendency to misjudge playing across the line, an 18-month absence from all forms of international cricket rebooted Bairstow’s career. With an all-conquering Yorkshire, Bairstow averaged more than 77 runs in first-class cricket the year before he bested Flower.

    Roy will find Kumar Sangakkara back at Surrey, who has started his swansong season by knocking off five centuries in a row. As far as inspiration goes, to be in the same dressing room as the Sri Lankan great must rank pretty high.

    But now it is Bairstow’s time. No other team in the tournament has a batsman with both the calibre and experience of the 27-year-old waiting in the wings – certainly not in English conditions.

    He may never have opened at this level, but his 174 from 113 balls for Yorkshire against Durham just a month ago suggests that he is at the very least a better bet than Roy.

    There is no sense in disrupting the batting order when it is working so well. Root, of course, has been forced to see the new ball off recently but England ideally need their most consistent accumulator of runs present in the middle overs as an almost guaranteed anchor. Moeen Ali is also on his way to perfecting the balancing act as a No.7. He should be left where he looks comfortable.

    The choice in the short-term is clear, then. But the long-term hope is that believing in Bairstow will aid in the revival of Roy.

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