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In a surprising turn of events, England’s dynamic opener Jason Roy has declined the opportunity to replace Joe Root in the remaining ODIs against Ireland. The call from Roy came after he was excluded from England’s ODI World Cup squad, and the national board hinted that his performance against Ireland would not influence a change in the finalized team for the showpiece event.
A change in plans for Joe Root and Jason Roy’s declination
It is worth mentioning that Root was not initially a part of England’s squad for the first game against Ireland but was added on his personal request as he saw this as an opportunity to fine-tune his skills and form in the ODI format ahead of the much-anticipated World Cup in 2023. However, his plans were unfortunately thwarted by uncooperative weather, as rain washed out the opening game in Leeds.
Root was added to the squad in place of Harry Brook, a surprise inclusion in England’s World Cup squad at the expense of Roy, who had been axed to make way for Brook into the team. Although it seemed like an open door for Roy to showcase his prowess against Ireland after his sudden exclusion from the World Cup squad, he chose a different path and declined the offer to replace Root in the Irish challenge.
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Luke Wright’s reaction to Jason Roy’s decision
England’s national selector, Luke Wright, expressed understanding toward Roy’s decision. He acknowledged that Roy had not anticipated being part of the Ireland squad and that the news of missing out on the World Cup was a heavy blow.
“He wasn’t expecting to be in that Ireland squad, and then to get the news that he was missing out on the World Cup all came as a bit of a hammer blow. We’ve made it apparent to Jason that we won’t judge him differently for that position as the spare batter at the top of the order, whether he plays against Ireland or not,” said Wright.
Tom Kohler-Cadmore steps in for Joe Root
As Roy decided to sit out of the series, the role to replace Root fell to Tom Kohler-Cadmore, a promising batter who has been making waves in domestic cricket. Kohler-Cadmore has enjoyed a successful debut season with Somerset, having moved from Yorkshire at the end of the previous summer. Kohler-Cadmore’s inclusion in the England squad for the Ireland series presents an excellent opportunity for him to prove his mettle on the international stage.
England’s revised squad for Ireland ODIs:
Rehan Ahmed, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley (c), Ben Duckett (vc), Sam Hain, Will Jacks, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, George Scrimshaw, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood
