More than three years after his latest match for the country, England opener Jason Roy has opened up about his frustrations over the apparent end of his England career and how he missed the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
Having been an integral part of the England team that won the ODI World Cup in 2019, Roy was ultimately dropped from the squad by the time England were supposed to be defending their title. Having last played for his country in March 2023, Roy talked about his feelings of not having made more of his England career.
Harry Brook replaced Jason Roy in the England squad
In 2023, England looked set to continue with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow as their openers at the World Cup. In their time together since 2017, Roy and Bairstow had become, at least statistically, one of the best opening duos in the history of the format, and easily the most aggressive.
Roy, too, was among the most aggressive openers in the history of the format, until he wasn't. After poor form between 2020 and 2022, Roy pulled it back in 2023. But he developed back spasms and missed the series against New Zealand that was held three weeks before the start of the ODI World Cup.
On the last day of the deadline to make changes to the teams' provisional squads, Harry Brook replaced him in the World Cup squad. And that was that for his ODI career. In England's next series after the World Cup, Roy wasn't called to the national team despite being fit.
"It took a huge chunk out of me" - Jason Roy on being dropped for the World Cup
Recently, Jaosn Roy sat down for an interview with ESPNCricinfo and opened up about his mental state when he was dropped. He said that he was frustrated by what had happened, and it affected him severely.
"When I got dropped before the World Cup [in 2023], it took a huge chunk out of me, mentally," Roy admits. "It feels like yesterday that I got that call from Jos [Buttler, England's captain at the time]. It's been a long time now, but I've had to overcome a few things, so it's gone very quickly."
"It was something I was looking forward to, had worked hard for, and I'd come out the back of some bad form and scored hundreds in the two series leading up to it."
"The back spasm came at a really bad time. The communication around that injury wasn't great, and then I was dropped. It took a lot out of me as far as 'who do I trust?' You have played so many games for a team, and then suddenly… that is just the way it is."
"I took myself away feeling disheartened and gutted, all the feelings you get when dropped from a team. But it wasn't just from the team - it was from the squad, for the World Cup. That is not just another series."
"That was tough, man. Because you've f***ing built it up; you've been crap, and you understand you've been crap. But then you're coming out of it, you're feeling good, people are starting to talk positively about you. You're playing better, and you feel like you're inching [back], then it gets taken away from you."
"I built myself up a little bit [after the snub] but struggled to find that real desire because what was the point? The mind is so powerful. You go through phases of loving it, moping around, and so on. That is detrimental to performance, to relationships," he said.
"It was heartbreaking" - Jason Roy on the end of his England career
The ODI World Cup itself in 2023 was a huge disaster, with England becoming one of the first teams to be eliminated from the tournament without even making the semi-finals.
It was the first time this millennium that a defending champion team had been eliminated from the group stages of the ODI World Cup. After that tournament, England were supposed to tour the West Indies, but Jason Roy was not called up for that.
Jason Roy rued the lack of communication, as he had to find out on social media that he was no longer a part of England's plans.
"I was told through the back spasm and everything, 'don't worry about it, don't rush back'. It was a quick series against New Zealand, a week or so. I could have played the last game at Lord's. The night before, I told the guys I didn't know how I would pull up. I couldn't just strap it up. But I was running in the warm-up, and Jos asked 'so you're sweet?' I said yes, but they said don't worry about it because there are the Ireland games that I could play if I wanted to," Roy added.
"It was heartbreaking. That game was Friday, then Sunday morning, I got the call. It was tough to take."
"The amount I played for England, what we had done for England as a squad. To just be shifted aside … that was the hard thing. There was a West Indies tour after the World Cup. I was told I'd get a phone call, that it wasn't the end. As heartbroken as I was, I wanted to crack on."
"And then I saw on social media that the squads were out for the West Indies, and I wasn't in. No call had come. That didn't sit that well with me. I had honest conversations with Jos and Luke Wright [then national selector]."
"I forced their hand. I messaged… I said I felt I deserved a little conversation about the direction you're taking things. And then we had the conversation. I was like, 'cool, that's sweet - I understand it'. There's unbelievable talent coming through; we've got young players that are gunning it, and I understand. I've got to go away and perform."
"That would have been lovely because I wouldn't have got so low. I wouldn't have felt like I had trust issues, I wouldn't have felt I couldn't trust anyone."
"I'm not that person to sit here and slag people off, and it is what it is. But it was a real shame, and it affected me for a lot longer than I wanted it to," he concluded.
