Jason Roy Makes Surprise Return to Red-Ball Cricket with Surrey Call-Up

England's World Cup-winning opener Jason Roy is expected to make an unexpected return to red-ball cricket after being selected for Surrey's County Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

The 34-year-old has nine hundred, including a career-best 143 against Lancashire in 2015, and an average of 36.46 in 87 prior red-ball encounters. Nevertheless, he hasn't participated in the format since scoring four and fourteen runs in a one-time Bob Willis Trophy match between Surrey and Hampshire during the Covid-19 summer of 2020.

After a short-lived Test stint in 2019, Roy played five matches against Ireland and Australia following his World Cup heroics. Initially picked as an opener, he was moved to the middle order before being dropped ahead of the Ashes decider, having averaged just 13.75 in eight innings, with Australia’s seamers exposing his aggressive technique.

Roy’s comeback comes as Surrey seek cover for the absence of their ECB-contracted batters, Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith, both of whom are being rested for this match, along with Gus Atkinson, in preparation for England’s upcoming Test against Zimbabwe later this month.

Roy’s return comes amid a dip in his T20 fortunes. Once central to England’s white-ball rise, he was left out of the 2023 World Cup squad and went unsold in this year’s IPL after multiple withdrawals in previous seasons. He hasn’t played a format longer than T20 since March 2023, when he last featured in a 50-over match for England.

Surrey, currently third in Division One and ten points behind leaders Nottinghamshire, are coming off a strong win over Somerset. Their squad is bolstered by overseas duo Nathan Smith and Kurtis Patterson, with Tom Lawes also returning.