Jason Roy rejects England call as Tom Kohler-Cadmore added to squad for Ireland ODIs

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London, September 21: Jason Roy has turned down the chance to rejoin England for two games against Ireland, increasing doubts over his international future.

Somerset’s Tom Kohler-Cadmore was officially called up to replace Joe Root for the second and third games of the Metro Bank Series on Thursday (September 21), with the latter taking a scheduled break ahead of next month’s World Cup, but it is understood Roy rejected the spot.

The experienced opener was ruthlessly dropped from the squad for next month’s World Cup despite being named in the provisional 15, a second cruel blow having also been cut from the T20 side on the eve of the short-form World Cup last year.

He missed the recent series against New Zealand with back spasms, paving the way for Dawid Malan and Harry Brook to edge him out of the trip to India, but England had not closed the door on the 33-year-old and invited him to link up with the shadow group who face the Irish on Saturday and Tuesday.

National selector Luke Wright also suggested that Roy was being viewed as first-choice reserve for the World Cup should there be any injuries in the top three, but admitted uncertainty over the player’s state of mind.

By sitting out the forthcoming fixtures at Trent Bridge and Bristol, Roy is allowing others to make a case in his absence in what could be a tacit admission that his own time is over.

He had already predicted a “changing of the guard” was due in England’s ageing team after the World Cup and a permanent place on the lucrative franchise circuit may now beckon.