The Guardian - 30.07.2019

Section:GDN 1N PaGe:44 Edition Date:190730 Edition:03 Zone: Sent at 30/7/2019 0:15 cYanmaGentaYellowbl

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The Guardian

Tuesday 30 July 2019

Joe Root could return to the No 3 spot

for the fi rst Ashes Test at Edgbaston

to shore up England’s struggling top

order. On a day in which Australia’s

David Warner was struck by Michael

Neser in the nets – a bruised thigh

that is unlikely to aff ect the opener’s

chances of playing on Thursday – it

emerged that England are considering

a late change to their batting line-up.

It is understood Root spoke

about moving up one place from his

preferred No 4 spot with the team

management during last week’s vic-

tory over Ireland – a match that saw

England bowled out for 85 in the fi rst

innings and the tail-ender Jack Leach

top-score in the second with 92 after

coming in as a nightwatchman opener.

Trevor Bayliss will doubtless

have been receptive to Root’s off er,

having long maintained it should be

the position for the team’s leading

batsman to impose himself on the

opposition bowlers.

Root averages 48 from 60 innings

at No 4 – compared with 40 from 40

innings at fi rst drop – and returned

there at the end of the India series last

summer. He believes it allows him

additional time to clear his mind for

batting after captaining in the fi eld.

England’s perennial top-three headache

has been made harder by Alastair Cook’s

international retirement, with seven

frontline batsmen be ing deployed in

those positions in the seven Tests since.

Root now appears to accept his prowess

is once again required higher up.

Ali Martin

The 28-year-old’s career-best score

of 254 against Pakistan in 2016 came

at No 3 but batting so high in England

has proved trickier since, with the

Duke ball in 2017 and 2018 doing

plenty for the opening bowlers owing

to its pronounced seam. England,

keen to assist their bowlers, ordered

a repeat batch for this summer’s Tests

too.

Joe Denly is the likeliest to move

down to No 4, meaning Jason Roy will

continue to open alongside Rory Burns.

While the reshuffl e shows England’s

batting uncertainty , their bowling

attack should at least be bolstered by

the return of Jimmy Anderson.

The country’s record Test wicket-

taker was one of three England players

at voluntary nets yester day, along

with Jos Buttler and Stuart Broad,

and bowled six overs seem-

ingly unaff ected by the calf

Come in No 3?

Root ready to move up

but Warner takes blow

 Joe Root’s

career -best score

of 254 came

when batting

at No 3 against

Pakistan in 2016

JULIAN FINNEY/GETTY

Ashes coverage Pages 41-43

▲ Australia’s David Warner suff ered

a bruised thigh in the nets at Edgbaston

RYAN PIERSE/GETTY IMAGES

Bleak future

Bale dismayed

by Real Madrid’s

refusal to allow

move to China

Riding high

How Brailsford

pulled off his

latest Tour

miracle

Page 36  Page 40 

ss

43 

Bury on brink

EFL suspends

Shakers’ match

but Bolton get

PFA lifeline

Page 40 

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