England test options in Root’s absence
WITH Joe Root missing the First Test of the summer against the West Indies a week today as his wife Carrie gives birth to their second child, the headlinegrabber was Ben Stokes becoming England’s 81st men’s Test captain.
But perhaps more important than replacing Root’s captaincy is replacing his runs. For all the debate about his conversion rate (just 17 of his 65 half-centuries have been converted into three figures), what captaincy does to his batting and where he should bat, Root remains England’s most consistent and classy Test batsman.
He has scored more runs (7,599) and has a better average (48.4) than any other England player since his debut eight years ago and this will be just the second match he has missed. He can be flighty, but Root is a formidable player.
Looking at the two teams (captained
by Stokes and Jos Buttler) for the threeday intra-squad match that began today and was being streamed on ecb.co.uk, it is clear England’s depth chart is weaker among batsmen than bowlers, where at least six Test quality quicks are competing for three spots.
The batting is shakier still without its fulcrum. Rory Burns and Dom Sibley opened the batting after Stokes put in the opposition and Ollie Pope, all of 22, suddenly looks the key man alongside Stokes in the middle order.
Which leaves two spots. The No3 berth is likely to be occupied by Joe Denly, whose presence is a peculiar mix; at once unconvincing and reassuring. After 14 Tests, he averages 30 — and plenty have been dropped with better records than that, especially aged 34.
Yet, he has provided a valuable function, soaking up more than 100 balls in 11 of his last 18 innings. England’s top order has been so porous for so long that Denly has served an important function, shielding Root and Stokes from the new ball.
Were Root available, Zak Crawley, who like Pope is 22, would have put plenty of pressure on his Kent teammate Denly. He looked increasingly accomplished in South Africa in
January and has all the shots, even if he is raw.
It is notable that in Team Stokes this week he will bat at first drop, while Keaton Jennings and James Bracey — both further back in the queue — open. It seems likeliest that he will slot in for Root at No4 — and if he were to outperform Denly at the Ageas Bowl, he might move up a spot for the Second Test.
But strong weeks for Essex’s Dan Lawrence or Jonny Bairstow at No4 with Team Buttler and Stokes respectively could cause a rethink. Lawrence is a rubber-wristed 22-year-old, Bairstow a known quantity who has worked hard to make technical changes since being dropped last year. If one was selected next week, it could be at No6, with Pope promoted.
On Saturday, England trim their squad again, to around 22 players, so every base is covered in their final days of preparation for these strange Test matches. Before then, much is at stake.