Jason Roy suffers injury blow ahead of World Cup

England batsman Jason Roy was forced to retire hurt after just four overs of Surrey's Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Essex at the Oval.

Roy was battling a hamstring injury ahead of the season and missed Surrey's County Championship opener.

The 28-year-old is a key figure in England's World Cup plans and having left the field on Tuesday, his injury will be a cause for concern ahead of the tournament which begins on May 30.

This was Roy's third appearance of the campaign, having scored 19 and nine in Surrey's opening two one-day fixtures against Gloucestershire and Sussex.

The right-hander struck three fours in reaching 16 from 12 balls before injury occurred, with Will Jacks replacing him at the crease.

Roy's injury adds to potential problems for England's top-order, after it was announced last week that back-up opener Alex Hales is taking time out for "personal reasons", with his county Nottinghamshire setting no time frame on his return.