Jason Roy rocks back in his chair and cannot suppress a telling grin as he takes a moment to consider what it is like to play cricket in front of a packed crowd at the Kia Oval.
From bashing helpless bowlers to all corners of the ground for a career-highlight century to receiving the “warmth” of the crowd when fielding on the boundary, the England opener is passionate about a venue he has been involved with for more than 11 years.
“It’s different level, it just feels like everyone is on top of you,” said Roy, who carved 162 against Sri Lanka at the famous London ground earlier this summer.
“Especially so when the first innings has finished and everyone has had a few liveners in the crowd and a few beers have gone down. It’s an incredible place to play cricket and as my home – I’ve been watching and playing cricket here since I was about 10 years old – it’s going to be amazing to be playing here again next summer.
“When you’re fielding on the boundary there can be a few groups who give you a bit of a spray but it’s all fun and the spectators here are amazing. The support over the last year has been phenomenal.”
The Surrey man is eyeing England’s Champions Trophy campaign next June, when six months of white-ball emphasis comes to a climax with 18 days of competition against the eight best 50-over teams in the world.
The ticket ballot closes tomorrow (Friday 30 Sept) at 8pm, but until then there's still time to enter for tickets to all four games in Cardiff including England's first match against New Zealand on 6 June. Enter here www.icc-cricket.com/tickets