Jason Roy interview

It did not take long to see that England were adopting a new, positive approach in the one-day series against New Zealand this summer. While Jason Roy will not look back on the moment with pleasure, slapping the first ball of the opening match (and his first ball in international cricket) to backward point signalled a break from the past.

The bowler, Trent Boult, sprinted to catcher Martin Guptill to celebrate and England fans thought, ‘Here we go again’ after the World Cup debacle. Old-school supporters also muttered, “What has he done?” Used to Mike Atherton, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook taking the shine off the new ball, it was enough to make them splutter into their gin and tonics.

The Kiwis were pretty downhearted 49.5 overs later, however, when the scoreboard at Edgbaston read 408 for 9. England won by 210 runs, and the limited-overs revolution promised by Strauss had begun.

It was a breathtaking series. New Zealand had a little luck – and Duckworth/Lewis – on their side to hit back in another high-scoring game at The Oval. They then took the lead at the Rose Bowl, only for wins at Trent Bridge and Chester-le-Street to give England an unlikely series victory.

Roy’s fortunes did improve. He made 39 (from 27 balls) at his home ground, then 9, 38 (from 35) and 12. The big score did not come, but the 25-year-old showed enough to indicate he has what it takes to make an impression in international cricket, and it will be a major surprise if he is not opening the batting for England in the five-match one-day series against Australia this month.

After a rain-aborted debut in Dublin, was Roy making a point by playing his shots from the very off in Birmingham? Was this part of the new management’s strategy?

“At times you still need to see off the new ball if the pitch is tricky, and do not get stressed out by maiden overs,” he said. “But if conditions are flat, and the first ball is bad, you put it away. It’s just good batsmanship, nothing drastically new.

“I didn’t make the impact I wanted but that is the way cricket goes. It is a learning curve. I lacked a little luck at times. I will carry on being positive.”

Eoin Morgan retained the captaincy despite being at the helm during the grisly World Cup in Australasia, but Paul Farbrace was coach against New Zealand before Trevor Bayliss arrived. Was there a big meeting where the blueprint for the World Cup, and all that came before it, was torn up, and a new one was unveiled?

“I didn’t really know much about what went on at the World Cup – I didn’t talk to the others about it – but this summer there was quite a relaxed atmosphere in the camp,” said Roy. “They seemed pretty happy during the series. We were told, ‘Go out there and enjoy it. If in doubt, take positive action’. You could tell during the World Cup there was huge pressure; it was all negative, negative, negative.

“New Zealand are a phenomenal one-day side, extremely dangerous, and it was a great series. Only a hero of an innings from Jonny Bairstow (83 not out) swung the last match.

“Paul was really amazing to work with. He got round to talking to all the players. I haven’t talked to Trevor yet [since he was appointed] but I came across him at the SCG two years ago during the Big Bash. Hopefully we can have another chat this summer. By all accounts he is a very good coach.”

Roy broke into the Surrey
first-team set-up in 2008, and has been a limited-overs force for them for much of that time. He has all the shots and is inventive, powerful and clean hitting. In the 2014 T20 Blast he smashed 677 runs. What was it like making the step up for England? “The intensity of it all,” he said. “The night before … turning
up at the ground. It’s all about getting used to that. Learning how to feel relaxed at the crease. Facing the likes of Trent Boult – there is
not much rubbish to hit!”
And what does he think about the Kevin Pietersen comparisons? Even from the man himself. “It is outstanding,” he said. “People saying we play the same way – ‘Gee, you remind me of KP’ – is not a bad thing. It’s the greatest compliment. He has been a great influence. He has given me very good help whenever he has been around me.

“Obviously we have the same management team [Mission Sports]. He is not shy of an opinion, and he lets me know when he has something to say!”

When Gary Ballance was dropped by England for the Edgbaston Test, it was the first time since 2004 that they had not fielded a Southern Africa-born batsman. Could there be room for this Durban-born dynamo? “Absolutely,” is his unequivocable reply when asked if a Test cap is also in his sights.

In four-day cricket the 2010–12 seasons saw him average around the 30 mark. The following summer was a write-off, but this year and last has seen him crack it, and he has been averaging more than 50.

His upbringing in South Africa did not feature cricket. Instead he loved the beach and surfing. “I pottered around in the garden a lot and might have picked up a bat occasionally,”
he said. “Then I came to Surrey [at the age of 10] and my cricket took off.”

He says The Oval surface has not been perfect for the limited-overs game in recent years, however. “The pitch has changed. It can be strange, indifferent – it’s the amount of cricket being played. But the groundstaff are working hard. I love Surrey, it’s my home – it would take a lot to prise me away.”

Roy is also frustrated by the domestic fixture calendar. “Surrey had a difficult T20 campaign. I find it difficult to play a County Championship game, then a T20. It is hard to hone your skills when you have to keep switching formats. In my opinion, to take cricket to a higher level, that needs to be sorted out – for batters, bowlers and spectators.” Roy ended the T20 campaign on a high, though, with an unbeaten 122 from only 65 balls against Somerset at The Oval.

He also made a superb start in the Royal London One-Day Cup, with 108 at home to Northamptonshire. “I was actually annoyed with myself as I got out with 25.1 overs left. I want to turn hundreds into big hundreds –140s, 150s.”

It is that self-critical quest for perfection that should serve England well in the Bayliss era.