JOE: I WILL BE ROOTHLESS
England skipper insists: ‘It’s my job to pick a team to win the series.. if that makes me unpopular with the guys left out then I’ll have to deal with that’
JOE ROOT must show his ruthless side this weekend by being greedy with the bat and picking the players he trusts to get him a win.
And the England skipper knows that he might upset a few people along the way. As England look to win this third Test against the West Indies to take the series, Root said: “Being unpopular with selection is part of the job, unfortunately. “As a squad, we’ve got a goal to try and win this series and, collectively, we’ve all got to play our part. If guys are annoyed with me for a few days, I have to deal with that.”
Root has been handed all six quick bowlers to choose from in his squad for this third Test.
And with a win the only result that will secure the Wisden Trophy and help put his side on course in the World Test
Championship, he must put thoughts about Ashes tours and future development to the back of his mind.
At 1-1, this final game is about the here and now and playing for some silverware.
Not about injury prevention or creating “good headaches” for the future.
It is about who can deliver a result with the pressure on.
And for a match at Old Trafford against a West Indies team starting to buckle, Root must surely ask James Anderson and Stuart Broad to reunite for what could be one of their last hurrahs together.
At present, it is impossible to say that he has better options for this situation, at home, with a Dukes ball. The pair still appear to be capable of match-winning performances, so let them show it.
Root said: “Jimmy and Broady are definitely an option. They’re both in the squad, so it’s on the table, for sure.
“It’s exciting to know there’s pretty much 1,000 wickets between them and they could be leading the attack.
“They’re two of our best of all time and I feel like there’s a lot left in both of them, so, of course, that would be an exciting prospect.”
With the undoubted X factor provided by Jofra
Archer, now that he is available once more, Root must also decide whether Mark Wood, Chris Woakes or Sam Curran deserve to oust spinner Dom Bess who was competent in the second Test.
Curran (below, with Woakes) adds the sort of variety to unsettle a batting line-up and should see him get the nod, with Root well aware that he has won 13 out of the 18 matches he has played in.
There remains concern outside the bubble at Jos Buttler’s form, but national selector Ed Smith pointed out that the team have won six more of their last 27 matches since his recall than the 27 before that.
And if Root finds his own mojo with the bat, the pressure on Buttler will diminish.
A loose shot on his return from baby duty is utterly forgivable, but this time he wants to shine like Dom Sibley and Ben Stokes did last week.
“It’s something I’ve thought about a lot in the week since playing that shot in the first innings,” said Root.
“I think there was a bit of match-rust in there.
“Thankfully, we had two guys read the situation better than me. It was not just a great lesson for me, but for the rest of the batting group.”