It was right for me but England need Joe to bat at four
IF Joe Root doesn’t want to bat at No 3 in Australia, he shouldn’t have to. England coach Trevor Bayliss may feel differently, but he’s not the one who has to go out there and perform. In this instance I believe the captain should bat where he’s most comfortable — and Root clearly feels more comfortable at No 4.
For English players, batting in Australia is challenging enough as it is. During the 1998-99 tour, I had opened in the first three Tests and begun well with a hundred at Brisbane. Then Alec Stewart bunged the gloves to Warren Hegg because he wanted to open, so I came in at No 3 for the fourth Test at Melbourne.
Glenn McGrath had got Mike Atherton in the first over, and as I arrived in the middle Ian Healy growled: ‘It’s no f*****g easier batting at three, Butch.’
He was right: I was soon out for a duck. But in general I loved batting in that position, and I even managed a century at Sydney from No 3 on our next tour in 2002-03. But the big difference between conditions in England and Australia, especially if you come in early while the Kookaburra is still swinging, is the bounce.
And this is where I believe Root has another good case for staying at No 4. One of his favourite shots is the back-foot force through the covers or point, which is a tick-over shot on the slower, lower pitches you get in England. In Australia, though, the extra bounce can make it a dangerous stroke.
If you look at top-order players from Australia in recent times — guys such as Mark Taylor, Matty Hayden and Ricky Ponting — they looked to leave a lot on length early on, because they knew the ball would go over the stumps.
One of my favourite strokes was the cut, but I knew in Australia that I had to shelve it for a while because of that bounce.
Root would have to do the same if he came in early — and, let’s face it, the way England’s top order have batted over the last couple of years there’s every chance he’d be in early if he was at No 3.
That’s another important point in this debate. Yes, you could argue that by coming in at first drop Root has a chance to stop the rot before it has begun and to impose himself on the game. But he also knows that if Alastair Cook has gone cheaply and he follows quickly, there’s not a lot left in that top five.
Moving Root up a place isn’t going to solve the problems England have elsewhere, with the likes of Tom Westley and Dawid Malan struggling to impose themselves on Test cricket. But it may compromise one of England’s strengths.
The captain presumably feels that he can do more damage at No 4, when the Kookaburra might have lost its menace and that back-foot force isn’t as risky. It’s not that he’s hiding from the new ball — it’s just that his team’s interests are better served if a scoreline of 20 for two doesn’t include his wicket.
He’s also England’s best player of spin, and there’s a chance the No 4 batsman will come in against Nathan Lyon, who’s a fabulous bowler these days. I think he’ll have as much of a say in the outcome of the Ashes as Australia’s quicks.
If Root had faith in the top order, then I could see the argument for moving him up a place — after all, he scored 254 from No 3 against Pakistan last summer. But his gut instinct appears to be telling him that No 4 is where he should stay. And, for a captain, gut instinct is crucial.