Expressing his views on the raging ‘Who should bat at No.3 for England?’ debate, Nasser Hussain has said that he would like to push Joe Root up the order.
You can bet on the 2023 Ashes with our Match Centre partners, bet365.
With Ollie Pope out injured for the third Ashes Test at Headingley, England promoted Harry Brook to No.3 in the first innings. However, that plan didn’t work as Brook fell for just three, succumbing to the probing line and length of Pat Cummins.
By the second innings, Brook had been pushed back down to his usual position at No.5, where he has made almost all of his 1000-plus Test runs. Ben Stokes revealed after the game that Moeen Ali had volunteered to bat at three in the run-chase, believing that he could have a greater impact on the game at that position than at No.7.
Unfortunately for England, that didn’t work out as Moeen was out for five. This has opened plenty of possibilities as England go searching for the ideal No.3 for the last two Tests of the Ashes. One of them is Root moving up one spot. Former England captain Hussain feels England should go in that direction.
[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]
Speaking on Sky Sports after the third Test, Nasser said that he would want to convince Root to move up to three given he is England’s best batter: “I’d be trying to convince Joe Root to bat at No.3. They may not do it. He said before the game (third Test) actually, Joe, in the press conference, ‘I’m quite happy to move to No.3.’
“And then obviously, Brook did it, but I would be trying to convince Joe Root to go out and bat No.3. He’s England’s best player. He will end up England’s greatest-ever batter, and that’s where he should be coming in, one down.”
Root has made clear in the past that he prefers batting at No.4 but he has spent a considerable portion of his Test career at three. He has batted there 59 innings, though his record is significantly poorer there than it is at No.4. At No.3, Root averages 39.67, nearly 13 runs short of his average at No.4.
Some of the other options England have are to continue with Moeen at No.3, use Woakes as a stop-gap solution, or bring in Dan Lawrence, who is already in the squad. They could also push Brook back up to first-drop, or call in a batter from the County Championship for reinforcement.
England will also be facing the dilemma of whether to bring back James Anderson into the XI at his home ground of Old Trafford. He had a poor couple of games in the first two matches of the series and was rested for the third. Hussain, however, believes that England should pick their fittest and most in-form bowlers and not be swayed by emotions.
“It is not a time for sentimentality or for resting and looking after people. You rock up to Old Trafford. And you sit down with each of your bowlers. Who is your fittest bowler? Who is ready to go at Old Trafford? Who’s best for those conditions?
“So you don’t have any emotion. Jimmy Anderson’s not ready and he’s not bowling well enough? Don’t worry about the Jimmy Anderson end and don’t worry about Old Trafford. This is the Ashes.”
