The lowest gasp of air on the table for Royal Champs after three rounds in Abu Dhabi T10 has no doubt left them breathless.
But Jason Roy would hope to take inspiration from his 2019 World Cup heroics against Australia for England as the opener aims to aid the franchise mount a strong comeback on time.
Long ago in 2019, Roy was wonderfully brave and outrageously rude to bowlers as England rebounded very well from a poor start in the tournament to make it all the way to the semifinal before sealing a nerve-jangling Super Over win over New Zealand at Lord’s.
The 35-year-old must now wind the clock back and deliver match-winning performances for Royal Champs, who are yet to win during the Abu Dhabi T10.
Roy was excellent — 42 from 25 balls — when playing Ajman Titans on Sunday, but his effort couldn’t bring the Royal Champs over the line.
The Champs lost heartbreakers in three of their four games and let two matches slip away in the last few overs.
Roy remains confident, though.
“There are some things that have not been functioning well for us, but we are doing our best to find the good formula and patterns within the team. It’s T10 cricket – it’s just that one game to bring the momentum back and I’m sure this team will come back,” commented the star batsman.
Despite the setbacks, Roy insisted in the dressing room the team spirit was strong.
“To have guys like Angelo Mathews or Shakib in the dressing room is priceless. Their experience in pressure scenarios and of different formats, bring so much to the group,” he said.
“We’ve got the leadership and knowledge with (coach) Sir Courtney Walsh, who’s driving us to get this right. “The boys as a collective, you know we’re all backing ourselves and we’re backing each other.
But the South Africa-born player conceded it can be tough to satisfy the demands of the shortest format of the game.
“Fitness and recovery are really important in a tough schedule like this. We’re being sure we’re managing our resources in a careful way so everyone’s kind of at their best when the call comes,” he said.
In their next game on November 26, the Royal Champs will face the Aspin Stallions.