Nasser Hussain has backed Jason Roy to be part of England’s Test team in the future.
Roy, who is seen as a better player of seam than spin, is not part of the squad in Sri Lanka, where England’s line-up is still very much up for debate, but Hussain believes he could succeed in the longest form.
“He is a very talented young man,” Hussain told Sky Sports. “He is not just a limited-overs specialist and I think he has a lot to offer down the line.
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“He puts the opposition attack under pressure. If this had been an Australia, New Zealand or South Africa tour Roy would have been in the Test team.
“He is not one of these lads, like Alex Hales, who is saying ‘I’ll just play one-day cricket’. He is keeping his four-day game going, England are looking for batsmen in the middle order.
Shane Warne has suggested that Roy, who bats in the middle order for Surrey in County Championship cricket, could fix England’s opener problem.
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“On pacy wickets with the ball coming on, Roy still has a future in red-ball cricket,” Hussain said.
“That is why he has to work with Graham Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash on manoeuvering the ball early on in his innings.
“He might have hard hands at times in England with the ball moving around, but why not [open with him]? Sometimes we’re a bit negative, let’s look at what he does do.”
