Feature

Will Jason Roy's injury open the door for Joe Denly?

Who replaces Jason Roy if he's ruled out of the World Cup? A look at the contenders

The severity of Jason Roy's hamstring tear is unknown. At the moment, England are hoping he'll be fit for the game against Australia at Lord's next week. But what if the injury is worse than expected? Who replaces him in the World Cup squad? Here's a throw-forward.
Dawid Malan: He's only played one ODI, but Malan is probably one of the two most likely replacements. He didn't enjoy an especially good One-Day Cup (the domestic 50-over tournament) with just one half-century and an average of 34.60, but Malan has proved himself a batsman good enough to score a Test century and has a T20I average of 50 in five innings. But for an injury sustained in an ODI in Ireland, he may have been a strong contender for a place in the original World Cup squad.
Ben Duckett: He has two half-centuries in three ODIs, but the most-recent one was in 2016. He enjoyed a brief return to international cricket earlier this summer when he was picked for the T20I against Pakistan in Cardiff, but endured a disappointing campaign in the One-Day Cup, passing 50 just once and averaging just 20.71. He's at best an outsider at this stage.
Joe Denly: He narrowly missed the initial squad of 15, after being in consideration as a spin-bowling allrounder. He has experience of opening the batting in ODIs, albeit in 2009. He's had limited opportunities on his recall (he batted once at No. 5 and once at No. 7) but enjoyed an excellent 2018 season at the domestic level - averaging 70.28 with two centuries and two half-centuries - and is known to be something of a favourite of chief selector Ed Smith. Along with Malan, he is probably the most likely replacement.
Ben Foakes: Made a match-winning half-century on his ODI debut in Dublin in May, but was dropped immediately afterwards as England's first-choice players returned. He also topped Surrey's batting averages (46.85) in this year's One-Day Cup. His measured batting - he's more Root than Roy - doesn't necessarily suit the role England have available, however, and he is an outsider for this position.
Alex Hales: With six ODI centuries, Hales would have been an obvious selection in normal circumstances and would have been expected to come into the team for Roy. But he is currently considered unavailable for selection after a testing positive for the use of a recreational drug again. Will there be a change of heart on that front?
Joe Clarke: He's considered unavailable for selection currently while the ECB's Cricket Discipline Commission investigates his involvement in a controversial WhatsApp group with some former teammates at Worcestershire. Averaged 42.50 in this year's One-Day Cup and would have been a strong contender otherwise.
Sam Billings: A dislocated shoulder - sustained in April - rules Billings out. Would have been a strong contender otherwise as he has both opened the batting and appeared in the middle-order. He is also an outstanding fielder.

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo