Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ROOT:COOK’S GONE... LET’S OPEN FIRE
England plan a less plodding, much more aggressive & exciting approach at the top as they look for a big hitter like Gilchrist
JOE ROOT believes England must seize the opportunity provided by Alastair Cook’s international retirement to set a course for a more aggressive and exciting approach to Test batting.
England will give Rory Burns and Keaton Jennings every chance to nail down their spots as Test openers in the three-match series against Sri Lanka, starting next month.
But the Test captain hinted selectors and team management are also considering a more aggressive style in future, with Jason Roy at the forefront of their thinking for the top of the order.
Roy will be on duty in whites with the Lions in the UAE against Pakistan A, testing Plan B of openers able to transfer white-ball aggression into the Test arena.
Speaking at an event to promote a community volunteering initiative at the Village Hotel Club near Leeds and before the squad announcement for Sri Lanka, Root said:
“Obviously if another
Cook comes along in the future or is around the corner and that is going to be the best option for us to go on and make big scores then fantastic.
“But if it is an Adam Gilchrist that opens the batting and goes out and whacks it to all parts and he is next in line, let’s roll with it and give ourselves the best chance of consistently getting 400.”
Root conceded the influence of T20 and one-day cricket has slowed the production line for traditional openers but insisted Test cricket was right to embrace and evolve with that new reality rather than reject it.
“If it means opening batters bat in a more one-day fashion long term I don’t think that is a bad thing for the game.
“It makes for exciting viewing. Ultimately it makes Test cricket as exciting as it can be,” he said.
“It will not reduce games to two or three days if you get surfaces right but it will be great fun to watch and make for a great spectacle.”
Selectors were close to picking Roy in the Test squad after the success of white-ball specialists Jos Buttler (above) and Adil Rashid against Pakistan and India this summer.
Depending on what happens on the spin-friendly tracks in Galle, Kandy and Colombo before Christmas, and in January and February in the West Indies, Roy could find himself with a big part to play in next summer’s World Cup-ashes double header.