Jos Buttler Says 'tough Decision' To Be Made With World Cup Squad As Jason Roy, Joe Root Struggle For ODI Form

Jos Buttler Says 'tough Decision' To Be Made With World Cup Squad As Jason Roy, Joe Root Struggle Fo (Image Source: IANS)

England skipper Jos Buttler has admitted that Jason Roy, and possibly Joe Root, could be added to the ODI squad to face Ireland next week, as England looking to provide their experienced players with ample opportunities to get into form before the World Cup in India, starting from October 5.

Roy's place in the World Cup squad was appearing in doubt after back spasms prevented him from featuring in the series win over New Zealand. He may yet be added to the squad for next week's ODIs against Ireland to try and prove his fitness, with England required to confirm their World Cup 15 no later than September 28.

After England's 100-run win over New Zealand at Lord's on Friday, Buttler emphasized that loyalty would be taken into account during selection.

"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. 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," Buttler was quoted by Sky Sports.

"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," he said.

Further speaking on pacer Jofra Archer, Buttler said Buttler stated that his side will not take any risks with fast bowler, who participated in training during the ODIs against the Black Caps.

Archer, who bowled the Super Over as England edged New Zealand on boundary countback in a thrilling World Cup final at Lord's in 2019, could head to India as a travelling reserve for this year's tournament after battling back from injuries.

"He's been out of the game for a while. He's had his elbow and his back [injuries] and he's still a young man who's got a lot of cricket ahead of him.

"There's a massive duty of care to make sure that he's fully fit for the rest of his career. It's obviously exciting to see him in an England tracksuit and bowling, he's a superstar. But we'll find out more over time."