England opener Jason Roy endured a nightmare start to his Test debut as he was dismissed for just five on the first morning of the one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s.
The Surrey batsman’s brilliant form against the white ball in the World Cup win had convinced selectors to give him the chance to solve England’s long-standing top order woes.
England have never truly replaced Andrew Strauss since he quit Test cricket in 2012, and the question of who opens the batting has only become more complicated since the retirement of Alistair Cook, who presented Roy with his first cap before the toss, last summer.
Batting alongside county teammate Rory Burns, himself a relative Test newcomer, Roy would have been out lbw in the second over had Mark Adair’s delivery not been correctly ruled a no-ball.
However, he could not make the most of his reprieve, edging to slip off the bowling of Middlesex’s Tim Murtagh, and will now have just one more chance to impress, in the second innings, before the Ashes series against Australia starts next week.
