ROOT DEFENDS UNDER-PRESSURE COACH BAYLISS

JOE ROOT has backed under-fire Trevor Bayliss to continue as England’s Test coach. A defeat or draw in the second Test against Pakistan, which starts at Headingley today, will condemn England to their third series loss in a row and increase the pressure on Bayliss. Root, who has lost eight and won only five of his 15 Tests as captain, insisted Bayliss was the right man for the job — despite his record of 15 wins and 20 defeats since he took over in 2015. ‘I don’t see why there is need for a change,’ said the England captain. ‘Ultimately, we have to play better. We’ve been below par the last six months and I think the easy thing is the knee-jerk reaction — change everything completely. ‘I love working with Trev. I think he does some really great things for this team. ‘We’ve changed our approach to practice and we’ve got a clear idea of how we’re going to get better. It’s going to take time. ‘We’ve got to commit to that, give it a chance and trust our own games.’ Ben Stokes had a scan on a hamstring injury yesterday and Bayliss was waiting until this morning to decide whether to play him as an all-rounder, a specialist batsman or leave him out. Chris Woakes could return if Stokes can’t play, while Surrey’s left-armer Sam Curran is another option. Root has hammered home to his players the importance of taking the Test by the scruff of the neck and said that if Stokes misses out, it would give someone else a chance to step up and perform. ‘Ben almost does two roles in one and can win you a game,’ he said. ‘Someone else can do that this week. It shouldn’t be the same guys doing it all the time. ‘Every game is an opportunity to do something special for England and that’s the message that has been put across to the guys.’ Alastair Cook backed up Root’s comments by warning that Test futures are on the line in the match. He wrote on Sky Sports’ website: ‘If you want to play cricket for England, you’ve got to deliver, otherwise we’ll be looking for other employment. Fundamentally, we’re not producing out in the middle. ‘But we have to stick together as a group. The trick is now to not carry the negatives from the first Test with us to Headingley.’