Jason Roy could quite easily hit a century off 60 balls in his next game for Surrey. Forget his low scores in the Champions Trophy: Jason is so gifted that he never really loses form.
That is why I would have stuck with him for England’s semi-final against Pakistan this week.
He is the sort of player who can find rhythm in a heartbeat and if he does, he can win the game for his team.
You don’t see him scratching around. Even when playing for England this summer, he hit some shots that you can’t hit if you’re not seeing the ball well, or if you’re moving sluggishly. But when you play in the style Jason does, there will inevitably be times when you don’t score runs. His style reflects his personality.
There has been quite a lot of hype about him since he established himself in the England team two years ago, and that is not easy.
For players making their way in international cricket, it can feel that whatever you do, everyone is judging you.
The ones who can put this scrutiny to the back of their minds are those who deal with it the best.
Before Jason was left out of the team for the Pakistan game earlier this week, all the talk was about whether he should keep his place, or whether Jonny Bairstow should come in. It has been difficult for him.
Jason plays with his heart on his sleeve so he feels it more than some other players would. The boys at Surrey keep in contact with him, though we don’t want to put extra pressure on him when playing for England.
But he knows we back him 100 per cent.
In Pictures | England vs Pakistan | Champions Trophy semi-final
It’s a huge gain for us that Jason plays in tomorrow’s Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final at Worcestershire.
As we’re one victory from a Lord’s final, these are high stakes. We lost the final of this competition last summer and we want to go one better in 2017.
Luckily, our young players seem to thrive when they play in front of full houses, in big matches.
We need to feel confident we can do the job.
