Uncapped Roy plays down injury scare ahead of England T20

Julian Guyer 07:52 01/09/2014
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  • Up for it: Jason Roy has been a prolific run getter in England’s T20 circuit.

    Uncapped South Africa-born batsman Jason Roy insisted he would be fit after suffering an injury scare on Sunday, hours after being included in England's 14-man squad for next weekend's Twenty20 international against India at Edgbaston.

    The 24-year-old rising star was hit on the hand while batting for Surrey against New Zealand A at The Oval and had to be taken to hospital, although an X-ray revealed that he had not broken any bones.

    “Result of X-Ray on Jason Roy’s right thumb is badly bruised but no fracture,” Surrey announced on their Twitter page. Roy too declared his fitness by tweeeting: “Fully fit and ready to go, very proud of my call up and thanks everyone for the messages.”

    Roy was selected for the one-off Twenty20 game after topping the run-charts in this season’s domes­tic competition with 677 runs at an average of 48.35 and a strike rate of nearly 160.

    There was further bad news for England when it emerged that ex­perienced seamer Tim Bresnan had sat out Lancashire’s match against Yorkshire at Old Trafford due to a pectoral injury. Roy and Bresnan were two of only four players named in England’s squad who are not currently involved in the ongoing one-day series with India, with all-rounder Ravi Bopara and Notting­hamshire batsman James Taylor the others.

    Eoin Morgan will lead England in the injury-enforced absence of regu­lar T20 skipper Stuart Broad, who is about to undergo knee surgery.

    Former Ireland batsman Morgan also led England in their previous T20 international, a nine-run de­feat by Sri Lanka at The Oval in May. Michael Carberry and Ian Bell, who played in that match, have both been dropped in favour of Roy and Taylor.

    Taylor has not played for England since their ODI win over Ireland in Dublin in September last year, with double Ashes-winner Bresnan’s most recent international appear­ance the humiliating defeat by the Netherlands at the World Twenty20 in Chittagong five months ago.

    England national selector James Whittaker said: “This one-off Twen­ty20 provides us with an oppor­tunity to look at players who have impressed recently in domestic cricket and gives them a chance to test themselves on the international stage against high-quality opposi­tion.”

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