It's a lot different opening the batting in a Test than an ODI, Josh Hazlewood issues Ashes warning to Jason Roy

It's a lot different opening the batting in a Test than an ODI, Josh Hazlewood issues Ashes warning to Jason Roy

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Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has issued a timely warning to Jason Roy, who is all set to open the batting for England at Edgbaston on Thursday. Hazlewood, who will be in line to open the bowling for Australia, has warned Roy about the difficulty of opening the batting in Test Cricket.

The 2019 Ashes is set to kick-off in less than a week's time, and the mind games have already started from the Aussies. Earlier, former Australian skipper Steve Waugh suggested that England's World Cup victory would be irrelevant heading into the Ashes, and now, talisman pacer Josh Hazlewood has aimed shots at opener Jason Roy, who has predominantly been picked based on his limited-overs form.

Roy, who made his Test debut against Ireland last week, will be playing in just his second-ever Test when he gears up to face the Aussies. Despite scoring a fifty in the second innings, the technical frailties in Roy's game were there for everyone to witness, and Hazlewood has taken notice of the same reminding Roy about the laborious job of opening the batting in Test Cricket. 

"We'll see how Roy goes in Test cricket. He has only played one Test match and it's a lot different opening the batting in a Test than a one-day game, that's for sure," Hazlewood was quoted as saying by news18. 

"In England, opening is probably the toughest place to bat, which probably made Alastair Cook's record all the better. To play attacking cricket in those conditions is tough," he added.

With England in dire need of an opener after several failed experiments, they have gone to Roy, who is coming on the back of an outstanding World Cup. However, history has shown that opening the batting in the longer format is a completely different ball-game, and Hazelwood was quick to point out the example of Aaron Finch, who despite having a stern record in ODI cricket, was found out when he opened the batting in Tests against India. 

"Aaron Finch found it tough last summer against a quality India attack on wickets that didn't do too much to be honest. I think he found it a big step up. He found the ball swung and seamed around and the wickets were a lot different to a one-day wicket," he said.

Like Finch, Roy has batted in the middle-order for Surrey in four-day matches but will face a completely different challenge come Thursday, when he will be up against a rampant Australian attack. Hazelwood explained how making the transition from batting in the middle-order in county cricket to opening the batting in Test Cricket can be a difficult one for batsmen. 

"He'd (Finch) played a lot of his four-day cricket at five or six and I think Roy is the same at Surrey. It's hard to bat five at a level below and then open in Test cricket. We'll see." he concluded.

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