England are a formidable side in white-ball cricket even without Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, and still considered by many as one of the favourites to win this T20 World Cup.

Having said that, their absence has had an impact on the squad, as reflected by what dynamic opener Jason Roy said.

“I wouldn’t say their absence is a problem for us, but it’s a shame. It’s definitely a shame not having those two here, but you know, they’re on the same path of getting fit and healthy again,” Roy, one of the integral parts of the England batting line-up, said on Thursday during a virtual interaction organised by Abu Dhabi T10, where he will be turning out for Delhi Bulls.

The slow, sluggish pitches of the UAE won’t really make the going easy for some England batsmen, especially captain Eoin Morgan who has been going through a torrid time since the IPL.

Roy, though, feels his teammates would be able to buck up in time.

“We’ve been training hard, but quite a few of our cricketers haven’t played much in the last few months barring those in the IPL. We’re all shaping up well.

“From my point of view, every single batsman in our top order has the ability to win games,” he said.

Players who were there for the UAE leg of this IPL should enjoy an advantage in the competition, Roy believes. “Coming from IPL to the World Cup has a lot of benefits.

“We have a feel of things, training and playing on these pitches, spending a lot of time interacting with players from other teams,” he said.