Don’t move me up to No 3, says Root STAR HAPPY TO STAY WHERE HE HAS SHONE
NO ONE could possibly describe Joe Root’s sublime batting in the England middle order as broken, so he is very reluctant to try to fix it. England are considering asking Root to move up to three for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on May 19 but the vice-captain would prefer to stay at four where he has become one of the best batsmen in the world. And Root has support in any attempt to resist change from Ben Stokes, who wants to take part in more partnerships with his close friend like the one that kick-started England’s revival against New Zealand at Lord’s last year. Trevor Bayliss mooted the possibility of a return to three for Root at the end of England’s Test series win in South Africa because that’s where he likes his best batsman to play. Yet it would clearly be met with resistance from Root, who has had the bulk of his success in the middle order, averaging 73.13 at five in Test cricket and 54.63 in his current position of four. Those worldclass figures drop to 32.83 at three. ‘I’m happy at four, I’ve had a good run there and enjoyed it,’ said Root at a golf day for England sponsor Investec. ‘I’ve not had any conversations yet with the coaches about batting order. I feel settled at four but if they want to change we’ll have a discussion about it and see what’s best for the side.’ Stokes, sitting alongside Root, had no doubts. ‘His record at four and five has been incredible. It suits his pace of batting,’ said Stokes. ‘And it means he’s closer to where I bat, so stay at four, mate!’ Root was first to console Stokes after his final over in the World Twenty20 final in Kolkata last month when Carlos Brathwaite heaved him for four successive sixes to seal a dramatic victory for West Indies. ‘It was a little bit awkward because I didn’t know what his response would be when I got there,’ said Root. ‘I was a bit wary but as a side we shared the pain. We’ve come so far as a side over 18 months and we’re all mates.’ They clearly were not mates, however, with a number of the West Indies side who were graceless in their celebrations, notably Stokes’s old rival, Marlon Samuels, who gloated in the Durham man’s face. ‘He won’t be on your Christmas card list, will he?’ Root says. Stokes replies: ‘He won’t be on that or anything else! I knew we had to let them have their five or 10 minutes to celebrate first because they’d just won a World Cup but at the same time you’ve also got to play the game the right way when it’s finished. ‘A few of their guys didn’t do that, one of them being Marlon. ‘That’s unfortunate but that’s his decision and it’s nothing to do with me.’ Now, boosted by widespread support for him and with the desperately sad retirement of James Taylor putting any onfield dramas into perspective, Stokes is ready to move on, starting with his Durham return in tomorrow’s Championship match against Middlesex. ‘I was back from India for eight days before I got bored,’ said Stokes. ‘It was good to have time with the family but now I’m ready to go again.’
Investec is the title sponsor of Test cricket in England. For more visit investec.co.uk/banking.