Cricket: Jason Roy buzzing for World final after leading England home in semi-final
England’s semi-final performance against the well-fancied Black Caps was their best to date, built around the clinical death bowling of Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes, an energetic performance in the field and some brazen strokeplay from the batsmen.
Roy led the way with a career-best 78 in 44 balls as England powered past their target of 154 with seven wickets and 17 balls left
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Hide AdThe West Indies or hosts India await in one of the game’s most famous coliseums in Kolkata - and Roy is eager to taste the moment.
“It’s pretty cool. Just another game of cricket...it just happens to be at Eden Gardens in the World Cup final,” he said.
“It’s something that we’re really buzzing for, it’s going to be an incredible experience and we can’t wait.
“It’s mind blowing. There is no better feeling, the joy on everyone’s faces was special and something that will stay very close to my heart for the rest of my career.”
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Hide AdRoy smashed 11 fours and two sixes to undermine New Zealand’s status as the competition’s most miserly attack and when he fell Joe Root (32 not out) and Jos Buttler (27no) finished things quickly amid a blaze of sixes.
“It’s pretty special for me, to get this group of boys to a final - but it wasn’t just me.
“The situation Rooty came in to was perfect for him, a nice calm head, and he just finished it off with Jos, who has explosive power at the end.”
Captain Eoin Morgan, the only survivor from England World T20-winning side of 2010, knows exactly what it means to reach a showpiece on the global stage.
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Hide Ad“Making a final is the kind of thing you dream of as a kid,” he said.
“Everyone in the dressing room has worked tremendously hard and made a lot of sacrifices to put us in this position.
“A lot of things have gone our way and we have earned the right to play the way we do and hopefully it can be our day in the final.”
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was not ready to anoint England as champions-elect and believes the winners will be whoever deals best with the change in conditions.
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Hide Ad“I certainly think England can win but any of the other two teams can win it. It’s tough,” he said.
“People spoke about us being favourites at one stage and we lost. There are a lot of uncontrollables but England are a very, very dangerous side, particularly on good surfaces.
“They’re playing in Kolkata which is a very different surface, so whoever adapts best will win that.”