England batsman Jason Roy says he feels he has been “relegated to the bottom” in Test cricket but is still keen to play the red ball.
Roy, 32, made his Test debut in 2019, after helping England win the 50-over World Cup, but averaged 18.70 in five Tests against Ireland and Australia.
He was dropped in the final Ashes Test after a superb performance of 31 in the first four matches and did not appear again.
“It was very difficult,” Roy told the BBC’s Test Match Special IPL podcast.
“I was shaken at the end of the Ashes. It was embarrassing to be honest.
“To be bowled in the last Ashes Test, at our home ground at The Oval, and to see the Test trophy again was very disappointing.”
England head into this summer’s Ashes having won 10 of 12 Tests under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
He will bring a good quality of cricket and inspire the batsmen in the attack, which was one of the reasons why Roy was added to the team in the first place.
“It made me think that my time in cricket has come too soon,” said Roy.
“Fortunately the way my schedule works and is set up, especially in the next few years, the red ball is very rare.
“I haven’t given up on that. I still have a contract with Surrey for the red ball game but my schedule doesn’t allow me to take T20 cricket around the world anytime soon.
“It’s very difficult. I didn’t say no, but to be able to push myself back into the side would be very difficult considering the way he’s playing and the quality he’s playing and the form he’s in at the moment.”
Franchise games are ‘fun’ for players but ‘dangerous’ for countries
Report in The Times in April he said up to six English players had been approached for regular gigs, worth £5m.
Seven of the 10 men’s IPL teams have teams in various leagues around the world including the West Indies, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the USA league.
“It’s the teams that are growing overseas that are very exciting for people and the prospect of challenging countries,” Roy said.
“Things are changing. The power of cricket is not what we knew even five years ago.
“Things have come a long way and the growth of the world’s top teams makes it a very exciting time to be a cricketer.”
‘Paarl made me enjoy the game more’
Roy was left out of the England squad that won the T20 World Cup in Australia last October and November due to poor summer performance.
He scored just 76 runs in six T20Is and 121 in five ODIs against India and South Africa.
His poor run continued in The Hundred, with six innings for the Oval Invincibles producing 51 runs and three ducks.
The right handed Paarl Royals, who stood out in the first season of the SA20, for changing his “approach to the game”.
Roy said: “I dried the seedlings at the beginning of the year.
“Paarl Royals changed my mind for the first time in a year. I wasn’t enjoying my cricket.
“I would go there and just treat them like it’s another day and the truth is it’s not, it’s my job. There are things on the line every game.
“He hugged me and gave me love and made me enjoy the game.
“This year has gone really well for me so far. I’m very happy with where my cricket is at. I’ve worked hard, but I’m happy that I’ve put the past year behind me.”
Roy has played nine ODIs for England since the T20 World Cup, making two hundreds while being dismissed five times.
