Once again, Jason Roy remained absent from England’s final one-day international clash against New Zealand at Lord’s on Friday, casting doubts on his readiness for the upcoming World Cup.

Roy, the opening batter, has missed all four games against the Black Caps due to back spasms, prompting England to consider whether to take the risk of including him in the squad for the tournament in India.

Should the 33-year-old Roy fail to gain clearance for the World Cup, the individual poised to capitalize on the situation is Harry Brook, who stepped into the side as a replacement for Ben Stokes and now has another opportunity to present his case.

Stokes had been rested just 48 hours after his remarkable record-breaking 182 at The Oval, a match that England convincingly won by 181 runs.

In addition to Roy’s absence, seamers Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes were also sidelined, making way for the inclusion of Brydon Carse and David Willey.

Brook, initially left out of England’s provisional World Cup squad, was brought into the series as “batting cover.”

England’s captain, Jos Buttler, who leads the series 2-1, won the toss and opted to bat first on a sunny day.

Buttler commented, “Jason Roy is getting there but frustratingly he is not yet fit to play. The other guys we wanted to rest and rotate ahead of what’s coming up.”

“We lived out what we wanted to be in the last game, really positive and aggressive. Different surface and different ground today, but the same message.”