England vs Pakistan: Joe Root happy to step up to No 3 having had time to mull it over
Batsman content to take on more responsibility
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Your support makes all the difference.Joe Root, after some gentle persuading over a period of time, will bat at No 3 for England against Pakistan in the Investec series that starts on Thursday at Lord’s and admitted he is flattered that he has been asked to step into the position traditionally allocated to the team’s best bat.
Coach Trevor Bayliss and captain Alasdair Cook have been the driving force behind nudging Root up the order and they have finally won him over ahead of a key series for England. “It’s really nice of them to say that and I feel I’m gaining confidence all the time with the experience I’m getting playing more and more Tests,” Root said of his readiness to be elevated from 3 to 4. “I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting some big scores under my belt now.”
Cook’s tactics to achieve the move have clearly ranged from flattery to ribbing. “Cooky takes the Mick out of me saying you’ve got such a great record batting where you do, but you should do it at the top where it really matters,” Root added. “He is right. He said you only did the five Tests [up the order] and then weaselled your way down the order. I’m pretty happy with the opportunity and I just want to get cracking now.”
It has taken time for Root, who used to open or bat No 3 as a schoolboy cricketer, to get used to the idea though. “There have been a few conversations over the last six months about looking more long-term, not at one series in particular, but that it was something that could happen down the line. That was in their thoughts and gave me an opportunity to think about it. I was asked leading up to the selection that it could be a possibility, I said: ‘Yeah, I think that could be the right thing to do’. All parties were pretty happy on where it stands.”
Now Root is at No 3 he will be looking to set the innings up with openers as opposed to kicking it on with the middle order. “It gives me a really good chance to make some strong partnerships with Alex [Hales] and Cooky,” Root said. “It’s a good chance to get off to a strong start, get out there early, more chance to bat for longer and make big scores.”
England will have to negate Pakistan’s left-armers to achieve those. Root is confident they can but is reluctant to add to the weight of opinion on Mohammad Amir’s return to Lord’s, the scene of his spot-fixing, other than to say they have to prepare well to face down his threat.
“My game feels in very good order,” Root added despite mixed success against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer. “I am hitting the ball pretty well. I know a big score is around the corner.”
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