IPL 2021: It Would Be Another Wasted Summer For Jason Roy - Mark Butcher Has His 'Fingers Crossed' For The Opener

Former England batsman Mark Butcher finds it difficult for Jason Roy to make it into the eleven of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021. The swashbuckling opener was roped in by David Warner’s side as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, who pulled out of the T20 league because of personal reasons.

Jason Roy has shown good form in the matches against India. However, as Mark Butcher points out, the Sunrisers have plenty of overseas, and top-order options. While skipper David Warner and Rashid Khan are sure starters, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Jason Holder fighting for the two spots. Wriddhiman Saha was also used as an opener last season in place of Bairstow to include both Williamson and Holder.

Mark Butcher jokingly says that England won’t mind if Warner gets injured, which would unite the pair of Bairstow and Roy at the top.

“Warner will play. Kane Williamson sits out often for Sunrisers Hyderabad and if he’s not getting a gig, and he’s not going to open the batting anyway. He’ll bat 3 or 4 then it’s hard to see where he fits in there, Jason,” Mark Butcher said on Wisden’s Weekly Cricket Podcast.

“From an England point of view, they’d be hoping that David Warner injures himself and then you have the Roy and Bairstow show at the top of the order. Fingers crossed that Jason plays otherwise it would be another wasted summer for him,” he added.

He’s had various injury problems over the last 2-3 years: Mark Butcher

The 48-year-old cricketer-turned-commentator reckons Roy’s injury issues in the last few years have kept him out of the IPL. He was bought by the Delhi Capitals last season but pulled out due to an injury. The right-handed explosive opener has played just 8 IPL matches across two seasons in 2017 and 2018.

“He’s done that so often in the IPL. When he was at Gujarat Lions… wasn’t going to play. When he did play, they batted him at 6. So yeah, he’s had it before. And Jason is not good at not playing.

“He’s had various injury problems over the last 2-3 years and it’s kept him out of playing regular cricket. He’s also had a situation where he hardly featured in an IPL for two IPLs and was so slow getting started when he got back in the UK. That hurts him, not playing,” Mark Butcher asserted.

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