Why England can still win the T20 World Cup 2021 without Jason Roy

England’s Jason Roy has been ruled out of the rest of the T20 World Cup after he was forced to limp his way off the pitch in England’s final Super12 match against South Africa on Saturday 6 November 2021.

Jos Buttler was on strike with Roy at the other end and as the pair went to run for a single, Roy’s left calf suddenly gave way, and he was seen hobbling to the safety before collapsing to the ground. After being helped from the field he was then seen on crutches after the game and underwent a scan on Sunday which revealed the opening batsman had torn his left calf.

Jason Roy had been marked out as one of England’s most vital playmakers ahead of the T20 World Cup and his current predicament will bring fear and concern to the England camp. Eoin Morgan will hope that his other batters can rise to the occasion and fill the sizable hole left by England’s opening batting star.

Who is Jason Roy?

Born in Durban, South Africa, Roy first made his international debut for England during the 2014 home T20I series against India.

Despite a rocky start to his International career, Roy has firmly established himself as one of the best limited overs batters with his hard hitting technique and he currently sits at number 14 in the ICC Men’s T20 rankings. He is the second Englishman on the list with Dawid Malan having just dropped to the number 2 spot.

The right-handed batter shot to fame during the 2016 World Cup when he made a 112 not out whilst sharing a record-breaking 256 partnership with Alex Hales.

In the fourth match of the World Cup he scored his second century making 162 on the way to England’s six wicket win.

His impressive performances both at the crease and in the field earned him Man of the Series.

What makes Jason Roy so crucial to England?

Ahead of England’s 2019 ODI World Cup campaign, many of his teammates described Jason Roy as a ‘Lion’ due to the strength and aggression he shows on the pitch.

Known for his pull shots and seemingly effortless sixes he knocks around the ground, Roy uses a combination of his front foot and bottom hand to gain such extreme power in his shots.

Cricketers are not taught to have such firmness in their bottom hands in order to allow for better wrist rotation and flexibility. However, Roy’s bottom hand is one of his greatest strengths and this combined with the use of his front foot gives the 31-year-old a perfect way to execute the weight transfer and hit the powerful strokes that are so crucial to his role in the team.

As an opening batter, Roy’s role is simple yet very often impossible to execute: take down the opening bowlers and get England off the mark. More often than not, the ‘Lion’ is able to complete his role in an apparently unchallenging feat.

It is not just his use of the front foot and bottom hand that allows Roy to deliver his mission for the squad so easily. Roy is able to add more energy and aggression to his shots by bending his back. The initial bend before the shot allows Roy to get under the ball more effectively giving him more time to make contact with the ball and the bend after completion fills the hit with much more energy.

Will England still be successful without Roy?

It is undeniable that England would not have seen the success they achieved at the 2019 ODI World Cup if not for the tremendous efforts of Jason Roy, and especially his partnership with Jonny Bairstow. In his eight matches at the 2019 ODI World Cup, Roy scored 443. During the campaign, England lost three group stage matches and for which Roy was not present in two of them.

Australia beat England by 64 runs in their group stage match when Roy was absent but in the semi-final when Roy returned to his opening spot, England comfortably won by eight wickets thanks to an 85 off 65 from the Surrey batsman.

However, at the 2021 T20 World Cup, Roy has not seen such form with his fellow opening partner Jos Buttler providing most of the runs for England so far.

Roy’s shining innings came as he smashed 61 off 38 balls during England’s eight wicket defeat over Bangladesh, however he has only scored a total of 62 runs in his other four matches, a notably lower total than had been expected of the Surrey batter.

Eoin Morgan and Chris Silverwood will most definitely stress and fear for the worst with Roy now ruled out, however England’s campaign will not end merely as a result of Roy’s absence. There can be little doubt that Buttler, Bairstow and Moeen Ali will all rise to the task.

Buttler recently became the first England men’s batter to have scored a century in all formats of the game as he knocked 101 off 67 balls against Australia.

Additionally, Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen Ali came into the World Cup after an incredibly successful campaign with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

Dawid Malan has yet to prove his worth as the number 2 batter in the T20 rankings based off his World Cup campaign, but with James Vince and Sam Billings waiting on the sidelines there should not be such a cause for concern.

Who has replaced Jason Roy in the squad?

James Vince will rise from his position in the reserve list to take Roy’s spot in the squad.

While he has struggled at an international level, Vince was the third highest Men’s run scorer during this summer’s The Hundred tournament. In his 12 matches for England, Vince has scored 340 runs with a strike rate of 123.63.

Sam Billings is currently in the main squad although he is yet to play a match. The batting-wicket keeper is not shy of a fight in T20 cricket and has a highest score of 87 with a strike rate of 128.30.

The squad for England’s next match against New Zealand in the T20 semi finals is yet to be announced so it shall be left to be seen whether Billings or Vince will make the cut and who is promoted to opening batsman.

England play New Zealand on Wednesday 10 November 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. The match will start at 2pm BST and will be available to watch on Sky Sports.