Roy makes early running in England ODI MVP

England opening batsman Jason Roy currently sits top of the PCA England ODI Most Valuable Player Rankings after enjoying a fine start to this summer’s ICC Cricket World Cup on home soil.

The 28-year-old was the match-winner as England bounced back in the global tournament against Bangladesh, hitting a magnificent 153 as England scored 386-6. The Surrey opener has already got one score to his name in the World Cup, hitting 54 against South Africa in the opener. As a result, Roy currently sits second in terms of most runs scored in the tournament, behind only Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan.

Roy’s innings of 54 in amongst the excitement of the tournament’s curtain-raiser was particularly impressive, especially given the nervous energy present in the ground after Imran Tahir had removed fellow opener Jonny Bairstow in the first over.

After England misfired against Pakistan, Roy enjoyed a stunning return to form against Bangladesh by blitzing his way to 153. The Surrey man needed only 121 balls to reach that figure, striking five sixes in the process. His brilliant knock accounted for just under 40% of his side’s total score – a vital contribution in what was a vital win for England.

Unsurprisingly, Roy claimed the PCA MVP award for that game after accruing 37.07 MVP points for his efforts.

Victory over Bangladesh was England’s second of the tournament – the first coming in the opening game against South Africa. After making 311-8 on what was a tricky pitch at the Oval, England were reliant on a brilliant spell of searing pace from new man Jofra Archer to all but secure victory.

The Sussex seamer took 3 wickets for just 27 runs from his seven overs, removing key batsmen Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen. Archer earned 29.35 PCA MVP points on the day to underline his mightily impressive start to life in an England shirt.

Along with Roy and Archer, middle order lynchpin Jos Buttler is the other member of the England squad to have claimed an MVP award at the World Cup thus far.

The game against Pakistan was a frustrating outing for the Three Lions as they were edged out by 14 runs in what proved to be an incredibly tense finish. However, Buttler’s brilliant 103 provided the silver lining. Having the Lancashire man in such good form could prove crucial to England’s hopes of taking home the trophy for the very first time.

Buttler claimed 29.18 MVP points in the match, and currently occupies fourth spot in the ODI MVP after making scores of 18 and 64 in England’s other two games.

In typical style, the performances of Test skipper Joe Root have somewhat gone under the radar so far this summer.

Whilst the likes of Roy and Archer have grabbed most of the headlines, the Yorkshireman has averaged just under 60 in the World Cup so far, and is currently the tournament’s fourth highest run-scorer.

Prior to that, the 28-year-old had returned 203 runs in his four innings during the ODI series against Pakistan in May. His combined performances across the two competitions mean that Root currently occupies fourth position in the ODI MVP, just behind the aforementioned Buttler in third.

Bowlers Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett complete the current top five alongside Roy, Buttler and Root, sitting in second and fifth position respectively.

The former benefitted from something of a head start on his England colleagues, after a string of brilliant performances in the aforementioned ODI series against Pakistan saw him top the Ranking going into the World Cup.

The experienced seamer finished the five-match series as England’s top wicket taker, with 10 scalps at 21.20. As a result, he went into the game against South Africa with 84.52 MVP points to his name, 22 clear of his then closest challenger Roy.

Woakes has made a steady start to the World Cup, taking three wickets thus far and hitting 52 important runs with the bat. However, the consistency of his performances throughout the summer so far see him well in contention for the 2019 summer ODI MVP crown.

England’s quest for a top four finish in the World Cup round robin stage sees them take on West Indies, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in their next three fixtures. With such a talented squad of individuals at their disposal, some big performances should lead to big movements in the ODI MVP in the coming weeks.

View the MVP Rankings here.

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