Jos Buttler values loyalty, but he might have to make a tough choice before the World Cup regarding Jason Roy as the opener struggles with fitness.
Jos Buttler, the captain of the England cricket team, recently revealed that the final selection of their World Cup squad is still up in the air. Jason Roy's fitness concerns have raised doubts about his inclusion in the squad after he missed the New Zealand series due to back spasms.
With Roy sidelined for all four one-day internationals against the Black Caps, Dawid Malan took charge at the opening position. His exceptional scores of 54, 96, and 127 make it almost certain that he will be part of the squad traveling to India later this month.
There's still a possibility of Jason Roy's inclusion in the squad for the upcoming ODIs against Ireland, as he aims to demonstrate his fitness. Joe Root might also be considered after a less productive series against New Zealand. England has until September 28 to finalize their World Cup 15.
Buttler emphasized that loyalty will play a role in the selection process, highlighting Roy's presence in the World Cup-winning team from four years ago and his impressive record of over 4,000 runs in 116 ODIs since his debut in 2015.
If England decides on a last-minute change, it's probable that Harry Brook will step into Roy's position.
Jos Buttler on England’s World Cup selection and Jason Roy’s fitness
“Nope [we are not settled on a final World Cup 15]. Obviously, it changes and now you can let the dust settle on the series,” Buttler said.
“We just have to find out (how Roy is). The biggest frustration for him is that he wants to be fit and playing, affecting games of cricket for England,” he continued.
"I didn't know that stat so it's a great one to have!" 😅🤓
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Dawid Malan is awarded Player of the Match and Series 🙌🔥 pic.twitter.com/MxPVeYczlE
“You don't want to risk anything but at the same time, you do want guys to play cricket. That's our job, to play cricket and we all want to play.
“He's been working really hard to be fit and available but we now have a few days where we can regroup – the coach, the captain, the selectors – and just work out exactly what we need to do moving forward.”
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The England skipper then explained why the England team management prioritizes consistency in the selection process.
“We've tried to be a really loyal team and selection panel throughout. It's something [former captain] Eoin Morgan and [ex-coach] Trevor Bayliss started.
“We've reaped the rewards of being consistent with selection, so certainly you take the whole picture in. You can't just pick a World Cup squad from these four games because there's a lot of thought and process that goes into looking into people as a whole.
“That's been one of the hallmarks of selection but I think we can find out all the information over the next few days if we need to and make what will always be a really tough decision.
“We're blessed with so many good cricketers in the white-ball game at the moment but in a World Cup, you can only take 15.”
