How Spurs hit world champ Jason Roy for six

How did your Spurs journey begin? Usually it’s through family, maybe friends, perhaps it’s where you live. Maybe it was a moment of magic from Greaves, Hoddle, Gazza, Bale or Kane. For ICC Cricket World Cup winner Jason Roy, it was a completely different story.

No doubt he’ll have a little smile to himself when we take on Manchester City at the new stadium on Sunday (4.30pm), because that’s where it all started for him back in April last year.

Jason takes up the story. “It’s all because of my first born. I never really had a football team, I just supported all the London teams, I never really thought I’d support a team because I’m just not that strict with myself.

“It was Tottenham against Manchester City in the Champions League (9 April), and my baby was crying. She was a month old then, screaming her head off. I thought ‘whatever, I might as well flick on the football’.

“I turned on the TV and fair enough, it’s a big game and I thought ‘if Tottenham win this game, you’ll be a Tottenham fan and I’ll support them with you, and we’ll go to games’. Well, lo and behold, Spurs won, she got some kit, I got some kit, and now she’s a fully-fledged Tottenham girl!”

One of the most feared opening batsmen in the one-day game – currently ranked 10th in the world – Jason helped propel England to world glory in a summer to remember. He averaged 63.28 across the 50-over tournament including a stunning 85 in 65 balls as England dispatched Australia by eight wickets in the semi-final. However, it was a nerveless piece of fielding that actually clinched the title on a sunny afternoon at Lord’s.

Sunday 14 July, a day that will go down in English sporting history. Set 242 to win in 50 overs, England, thanks in main to Ben Stokes, hit 33 off the final three overs to tie the scores at 241. That meant a nerve-grinding ‘Super Over’ to decide the winners. England (Stokes and Jos Buttler) scored 15, New Zealand needed two to win off the final ball, England had to hold it to one run to win. Jofra Archer bowled to Martin Guptill, he played it through midwicket where Jason raced in off the boundary, collected and threw to wicketkeeper Buttler, who ran out Gupthill before he could complete a second, winning run. The Super Over was tied as well and England won on the boundary count back rule, 26-17.

“Every single person asks me ‘what was it like?’ and I don’t get tired of answering that question,” Jason told us. “It’s an incredibly special feeling and to share it with a great bunch of boys was unreal. I’ll be the old man in the pub in the corner going ‘remember that time when I won the World Cup?!’ that will be me!”

Jason made his Test debut against Ireland 10 days after the final and stepped straight into the heat of an Ashes Series in August, Australia retained the Urn after it ended 2-2.

“It wasn’t an easy Series at all, as you can tell from the numbers, but to be involved was just incredible,” he reflected. “The fact it didn’t quite go my way, that’s a shame, but hopefully in the not-too-distant future I’ll be able to right some wrongs. I’ll try to get back in and try to prove myself again. If that doesn’t happen, I played in an Ashes Series, which is pretty cool!”

World Cup win and Ashes Series under his belt, Jason stepped out at the new stadium for the first time before our recent Premier League match against Liverpool. “It’s breath-taking, an incredible feeling to come to a stadium where everything feels on top of you.”

Things hardly ease up in a fascinating 2020. England have a busy summer of Test and one-day action before a new domestic tournament, The Hundred (100 balls per innings) where Jason will represent the Oval Invincibles. Then it’s the ICC T20 World Cup – and the chance to double up on the world stage.

“Winning the World Cup, it was amazing to see a resurgence of kids finding a love for the game and I believe The Hundred will do the same thing,” he said. “It’s a massive year ahead. We’ve also got the T20 World Cup. It’s coming thick and fast. We fancy our chances, yes. We’re that type of team, T20 suits our mentality even more, so who knows?”