Cricket
Melinda Farrell at Cardiff 6y

Jason Roy takes pleasure in 'favourite' England innings

AUS in ENG 2018, Cricket

Jason Roy described his century in Cardiff as "probably my favourite" after he paved the way for England's victory in the second ODI against Australia. Roy's 120 off 108 balls was his third highest score in the 50-over format and was a welcome return to the scoresheet for the opener after his second-ball duck at the Oval.

It was a mature display from Roy, who said he was particularly happy with the way he had paced his innings and changed through the gears.

"I had a long discussion with Thorpey [Graham Thorpe] after I got out and just said it was probably my favourite innings as far as how my tempo was throughout the innings," said Roy. "Just the way I knuckled down early, it was quite difficult and I went through some difficult patches but then came out the other side.

"Obviously I wanted to start expanding my game but unfortunately I got out. But I was still happy nonetheless.

"It was a big aim for me to come after a long winter and to start well on home soil. Obviously we had the hiccup against Scotland and then the first game I was a bit panicky, a bit wary, of where my game's at, but I put in a lot of hard work over the past few days and got a few rewards today."

Shaun Marsh's swashbuckling century had given Australia an outside chance of successfully completing their highest-ever run-chase but, once he was bowled by Liam Plunkett, England were able to clean up the tail.

"I guess it's bittersweet," said Marsh. "It's nice to get a few runs but, yeah, I was obviously disappointed with the result. We couldn't quite finish it off at the end there.

"It's obviously a disappointment for us. We felt like we were in the game right until the end but unfortunately we just weren't good enough today. We'll have to be better in a few days' time."

Marsh said he believed Australia will go into the third ODI with the same batting line-up used in Cardiff. D'Arcy Short was brought in to open with Travis Head, while Aaron Finch was dropped down the order to bat at No. 5. Without David Warner and Steve Smith in the side, this tour has very much been an exercise in experimentation as Australia try to settle on their best combination.

"I think it was about the balance today," said Marsh. "Putting Finchy in the middle order was trying to strengthen the middle order a bit more with the experience that he's got. I'm not sure what they'll do for the next game. I think they'll stay the same."

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