England’s top-order has been under the pump in recent times. Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman and James Vince have breached the three-figure mark just once over the course of seven Tests in Australia and New Zealand.

England coach Trevor Baylis has been public in his desire to see the skipper at first drop – a position often occupied by a team’s foremost batsman – but Root has felt more comfortable at No.4, especially with the additional workload that has come with the captaincy.

Root will also be keen to convert his half-centuries into something more substantial. His last century came against the Windies back in August 2017, even though he has crossed 50 nine times since then.

“I did it for one game in New Zealand and it didn’t work out there,” said Root. “But this is a great opportunity to do it at home and it’s a great opportunity moving forward so I’m really excited.

“I will go out to try to set the tone and score as many runs as I can from that position.”

England will take on Pakistan in a two-Test series, with the first Test commencing on Thursday 24 May.