London: England captain Eoin Morgan has confirmed that wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow will open the innings for the side along with Alex Hales in the opening ODI of the five-match series against West Indies, beginning at the Old Trafford tomorrow.
As a result, Jason Roy will not regain the spot which he had lost to Bairstow during the hosts’ Champions Trophy semi-final defeat to Pakistan in Cardiff in June this year.
Roy, who lost his spot following his dip in form over a protracted period, was also dismissed for a golden duck against the Caribbean side in England’s 21-run defeat in the one-off T-20 match at the Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
And now, Morgan informed that Bairstow instead would open in Manchester.
“Jonny is going to open with Alex Hales. We feel Jonny deserves a chance. He’s been waiting in the wings for quite a while now. This is an opportunity to make the opening position his,” the Guardian quoted Morgan, as saying.
Known for being one of England’s most reliable batsmen across the formats, Bairstow marked his return to the ODI format with a score of 43 as his side knocked out of the Champions Trophy after slumping to an eight-wicket defeat to the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side.
When quizzed if England need to be at their menacing best in the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, Morgan answered in affirmation.
“Yes, I think we will. They’re a strong outfit, [and] obviously have some additions, changes from the Test team – so they’re not a side we take lightly,” he said.
“A lot of our focus over the last couple of years has been on ourselves. I think to make that extra step, learning on from the Champions Trophy, this series for us is about producing consistent performances,” Morgan concluded. (ANI)