3 reasons why Jason Roy is England's greatest white-ball opener of all time

Jason Roy is celebrating his 33rd birthday today (July 21). The South Africa-born England opener has made a name for himself with his phenomenal batting performances in white-ball cricket. Roy is one of the most sought-after players in the T20 leagues, which highlights how impressive he has been in the shorter formats.

As far as Jason Roy's numbers in international cricket are concerned, the England opener has played 116 ODI matches, where he has scored 4,271 runs in 110 innings. His batting average has been around 40, while his strike rate is more than 100.

Speaking of his performances in T20I matches for the England cricket team, Roy has scored 1,522 runs in 64 innings at a strike rate of 137.61. The right-handed opener has recorded eight half-centuries in the shortest format of international cricket.

Over the years, Jason Roy has played some magnificent knocks for England in ODI and T20I matches. On his 33rd birthday today, we will look at the three reasons why Roy is the greatest white-ball opener to have represented England at the international level.

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#1 Jason Roy starred in England's 2019 World Cup win

England v Bangladesh - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (Image: Getty)

England have been a part of all Cricket World Cups since 1975. They did not win a single tournament before 2019. One of the main reasons behind England's Cricket World Cup triumph in 2019 was Jason Roy's brilliant performance at the top of the order.

Roy played seven innings for England at the mega event, aggregating 443 runs at an average of 63.28. Notably, he scored these runs at a strike rate of 115.36, smashing one century and four half-centuries.

His 121-ball 153 helped England defeat Bangladesh for the first time in Cricket World Cup matches since 2007. Plus, his 57-ball 66 against India and 65-ball 85 in the semifinal against Australia played a pivotal role in England's triumph.

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#2 Jason Roy played a big role in England's turnaround after 2015 Cricket World Cup

Netherlands v England - 3rd One Day International (Image: Getty)

England failed to qualify for the quarterfinals at the 2015 Cricket World Cup, suffering an embarrassing exit after a loss against Bangladesh in the group stage. Captain Eoin Morgan and the rest of the team management decided to bring an aggressive approach to their game after their early exit in 2015.

One of the new players to join the England ODI team was Jason Roy, who debuted against Ireland in May 2015. Although Roy got out for a golden duck in the first innings that he played for England, he batted aggressively in the next innings and clarified that the English team will play with much more intent going forward.

England needed a solid opener at the top to instil this aggressive mindset in the team, and Roy did that job to perfection.

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#3 Roy has scored a century in 5 different continents

South Africa v England - 1st One Day International (Image: Getty)

Very few England openers can boast of scoring five centuries in white-ball cricket. Then there is Jason Roy who has scored an ODI hundred in five different continents.

He has touched triple figures in Australia, Bangladesh and the UAE (Asia), England and Netherlands (Europe), South Africa (Africa), and West Indies (North America). It highlights that Roy has the ability to score big in different conditions, making him the greatest England opener of all time.