Jason Roy was at a loss to explain how he had scored a match-winning century against Pakistan following an overnight visit to hospital with his baby daughter.
Roy’s superb 114 was the centrepiece of England’s chase asthey beat Pakistan at Trent Bridge on Friday to go 3-0 up with one to play in aone-day international series.
Yet Roy’s eighth century at this level came in tryingcircumstances, with the Surrey opening batsman saying he’d been more worriedabout daughter Everly than piling up the runs.
“It was a very emotional hundred. I didn’t see itcoming,” Roy told BBC Radio’s Test Match Special.
“I had a bit of a rough morning so this one is aspecial one for me and my family,” added Roy, who returned to hospitalafter a three-wicket win, although his daughter’s condition is not believed tobe serious.
“It was my little one. We had to take her to hospitalat 1:30 in the morning. I stayed there until 8:30am, came back for a couple ofhours sleep and got to the ground just before warm-up and cracked on.”
England were cruising to a target of 341 while Roy was atthe crease but, after comfortable wins at Southampton and Bristol, hisdismissal sparked a collapse that saw three wickets lost for seven runs in 10balls.
And when Moeen Ali was out for a duck, England were 216 forfive.
But Ben Stokes’s unbeaten 71 eventually saw England win withthree balls to spare.
“For Ben to soak up that pressure, come through it andbe not out at the end will give him lots of confidence. It was great to see himplay in that fashion,” said England stand-in captain Jos Buttler.
Wicket-keeper Buttler, leading the side while regularcaptain Eoin Morgan served a one-game ban for the team’s slow over-rate inBristol, also praised Roy by saying: “It’s great to watch Jason go abouthis work too. He’s been in great form and he was desperate to go on to hishundred.”
While Roy was named man-of-the-match, the award could havegone to his Surrey team-mate Tom Curran.
The paceman took four for 75 in Pakistan’s 340 for seven,including the wicket of century-maker Babar Azam, and, batting at No 8, made 31in a key stand of 61 with Stokes.
It all strengthened Curran’s case for a place in tournamenthosts England’s final 15-man squad for the World Cup. With the showpiece eventnow just a matter of weeks away.
“With the bat, with the ball, I love his character. Hejust wants to be involved in the game, he had a fantastic day,” addedButtler.
Curran, however, might have been run out for six had eitherPakistan or the umpires spotted that a second direct hit in the same passage ofplay had dislodged the one remaining bail as he scrambled to complete a run.
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who did not appeal for theCurran run-out was left regretting that decision but the wicket-keeper wasarguably more frustrated by his team’s succession of costly fielding errors.
“We had enough runs on the board and if we field wellwe win this game,” said Sarfraz.”The coach told me (about the run-out). Ithought both bails had come out, I hope that if the third umpire seen it on thetelevision he would tell the umpires as well.”