Jason Roy interview: England batsman hopes Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales' decisions won't be held against them

The pair decided against travelling on the tour of Bangladesh due to security concerns

Roy was happy to travel to Bangladesh but respects his teammates' decisions not to go

Jason Roy says that he would be very disappointed if the decisions of Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan not to tour Bangladesh with the England one-day outfit were held against them as assurances were made to the whole squad that there would be no black marks.

Andrew Strauss, the England director of cricket, said he would be disappointed if players pulled out of the tour prior to any decisions being reached but Roy insists players were given guarantees.

“They will be massively missed,” Roy told The Independent of the absentee pair. “They are a huge part of our side but it was completely their decision. I certainly hope [their decisions would not be held against them]. In the meetings we’ve had and the conversations we’ve had about it, it got emphasised that it was a completely individual decision and that it won’t be held against us in the slightest.

“So if it was that would be disappointing but I doubt it. They are a both huge part of our side – obviously Eoin as captain.”

The former England captains Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain were critical of the decision by Hales and Morgan but Roy said: “That’s their opinions. I respect other people’s opinions but as a squad we are backing our players.”

Was Roy always determined to travel to Bangladesh? “It was a difficult decision for everyone but yeah, I had a couple more questions about security. But once they were answered – they were just personal things really, I was happy to go.”

Hales and Morgan chose not to travel to Bangladesh amid security concerns (Getty)

Roy sees it as a chance for those that come in. “It is a good opportunity for others who have been playing some incredible cricket this summer,” he said.

On the wider subject of the one-day team Roy is delighted with the way their fortunes have turned around since the humiliation of the World Cup. “It is a great place to be at the moment,” he said. “There’s a huge amount of confidence in the squad and everyone is just excited about the next adventure.

“I’m getting my mind back on to one-day cricket again and playing on the subcontinent. I’ve trained and played there before so I know a bit what to expect.

“I’m not working on anything specific. I just want to keep it nice and simple – like I do no matter where I play. Overthinking things can be a problem sometimes for me as an individual. I have my methods. It might be a bit different in Bangladesh. Par scores there are a bit lower than in England so that gives me a bit more time to get myself in. Once that happens then I let my skills take over. Hopefully I can adapt quickly. That will be biggest problem: adapting to the conditions quickly.

“But we’ve got a few practice days to get used to it so I’m not worrying about it now too much.”

Despite England breaking the highest ODI score against Pakistan in their 4-1 series win this year Roy believes there is more to come. “We’ve played some incredible cricket this summer. We’ve broken records but I don’t think we’ve put a full performance together yet with bat and ball in one game so there is an opportunity for us to do that this winter. Hopefully by the time the Champions Trophy comes around next summer we’ve got even more confidence than we do now.”

England's one-day outfit is currently running high on confidence (Getty)

Did the team target the highest score? “Not really, no. We know what we are capable of a side and that if we play our best cricket those scores can happen.” And did have any idea how close he was to breaking Robin Smith’s highest individual score before Hales beat him to it against Pakistan? “When I was batting I had no idea. I was four runs shy. But we are both the sort of players who don’t look too much into that and just play for the team.”

So the Champions Trophy is the next big target for the England side. But will they curb their attacking instincts when it comes to knockout cricket? “No. We have just got to play the cricket we know we can play and we should be in with a good shout. We just want to turn up and do our thing and not worry too much about what the opposition are going to do.

“Look at the amount of games we’ve won playing high-risk cricket. So I don’t think there will be a huge amount of change. We have the players in the side who can adapt if things go badly. I think we’ll stick to our principles.”

In the meantime Roy is targeting getting into the England Test team. “Absolutely. Test cricket is an ambition. I’ve just got to keep working hard, getting runs for Surrey and in the England one-day set up and hopefully the Test team will come knocking.

“I’m quite an orthodox hitter with regards to red ball cricket it’s a case of change in mindsets which has been a difficult thing this summer for example when you have a T20 on a Friday night and then a Championship game on a Sunday. It is hard to switch in between the three at county level and I know quite a few of the guys feel the same way.

“You are going from trying to smash it everywhere and a day later going out and trying to survive and it’s quite hard to switch between but it’s the same for everyone I guess.”

The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 tournament will be held in England and Wales between 1 and 18 June 2017. The ticket ballot for the tournament closes on 30 September 2016. Apply for tickets, visit ICC-cricket.com/tickets