"I felt it was just a matter of time" - Jason Roy on finding form in ongoing Bangladesh tour
England's limited-overs opener Jason Roy has said that he has always believed in himself despite a form slump in the preceding few games. The right-hander said that every hundred scored means a lot and that he has remained his biggest critic.
Roy said so after his 124-ball 132 in the second ODI in Mirpur against Bangladesh on Friday (March 3) to consign the hosts to a rare home series loss. The South African-born opener's 12th ODI ton helped England post 326 and register a 194-run win.
After the massive victory, the white-ball specialist said that he has worked his hard in the last few months by ignoring the outside noise. Despite not scoring consistently big, the veteran batter said that he kept faith in himself.
As quoted by Sky Sports, he said:
"Every single ton means the absolute world. Every run, every boundary that I scored was a bit of a scrap. I've been putting in the work and staying focused, keeping my head down and trying to ignore a lot of the smoke that's been around my form. I'm my biggest critic. I understand I've not been in the greatest of form, but I've been playing decent cricket, I've been playing nicely and hitting the ball well, so I felt it was just a matter of time."
The 32-year-old's dwindling returns in ODI cricket over the last few months meant he ran the risk of losing his place for the World Cup later this year. Before his 113 against South Africa last month, the opener's highest score was 43 in the preceding eight innings.
"Fortunately, this knock has helped my case" - Jason Roy on World Cup hopes
Roy, who shared a 109-run stand with Jos Buttler on Friday, added that it's hugely rewarding to score runs in foreign conditions and that he feels his performances have kept him in the reckoning for a World Cup spot. The right-hander said:
"To come here on slow turners, where it's a bit inconsistent, as far as your skillsets go as a batsman, it's as rewarding as it can get, scoring runs in these sorts of conditions. I'm very happy with that. Fortunately, this knock has helped my case to keep me there or thereabouts."
The third and final ODI against Bangladesh is in Chattogram on Wednesday (March 8).