Kumar Sangakkara believes Jason Roy is ready to bounce back

Former Sri Lanka captain, Kumar Sangakkara, believes that Jason Roy is ready to bounce back after his disappointing run in the Champions Trophy 2017, he predicts that Roy’s attitude and all-round attributes will make him a valuable asset to England’s one-day team for many years to come. Sangakkar has been in top form himself, batting alongside Roy who put his recent England struggles behind him with 92 from 81 balls in Surrey’s Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final victory over Worcestershire at New Road last week.

Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, was adamant on giving Roy a chance in the group stages over and over again because he brings a different kind of confidence and power at the top of the order. This knock was a sign that Roy was back to his usual destructive self which was missing in the Champions Trophy and a tally of just 52 runs in his previous eight innings.

Though he was backed in all the games in the group stage of the tournament, Roy was eventually omitted for England’s semi-final against Pakistan in Cardiff., Jonny Bairstow, his replacement chipped in with 43 from 57 balls but it was not enough to prevent them from being subjected to a crushing eight-wicket defeat after being bowled out for 211.

It has often been said that Roy is the kind of player who, if out form, is just an innings away from bringing back his usual destruction. That one innings came at the Royal London Cup, though, a little too late than England would have wanted. “I don’t think Jason was ever out of form,” Sangakkara told ESPNcricinfo during a Chance to Shine Street event in Camden. “I would have loved to have seen him play against Pakistan because I think he was one innings, or a bit of luck, away from doing that for England. He missed out, and whether that had an impact on the final result, I do not know.

“But Jason’s energy, his fielding, his ability to change games at the top, he’s a fantastic asset. I think he just needed a little bit of focussing and advice about how to structure his innings in the Champions Trophy. [At New Road] he came back, took a deep breath, trusted what he knew and batted absolutely beautifully,” he added.

Still the best top-order batsman for England

“Jason has been an exciting find for England and he’ll be an exciting player for England for many years to come. I think in that position, he’s a complete package and a very valuable part of that side. For us [at Surrey] he’s been a champion,” Sanga said.

According to Sangakkara, there were no signs of lack of belief or intent from Jason Roy in the match, despite having a bad time on the field for the International side and being dropped from the all-important game in the semi-finals. This is a positive the English side can take despite ending their campaign in the Champions Trophy on a distressed note, ahead of their T20 series against South Africa set to begin on June 21.

“Jason is the type of guy who can shrug his shoulders and continue to believe in the fact that he is a good player, continue to assess what he does as a batsman, and go out there and continue to score runs, which is exactly what he did for Surrey. It would have been easy to be consumed by disappointment and forget he was playing an important match for Surrey, but that’s not Jason. He settled in seamlessly, as he always does into our line-up, and played a matchwinning knock,” he said.