3 reasons why Joe Root must bat at No. 3 for England in 3rd Ashes Test at Headingley

England are 2-0 down in the 2023 Ashes and will be without Ollie Pope for the third Test. This could open an opportunity for Joe Root to take that position.

Joe Root, in the past, has not been too keen to bat at number three, but considering Australia’s bowling attack and England’s approach, this move might be the most prudent.

This could also open an opportunity for England to include Ben Foakes as the specialist wicketkeeper-batter and will relieve Jonny Bairstow of keeping duties.

There is, however, Dan Lawrence in the mix and he could replace Pope. Harry Brook has also been tipped to take up the vacant spot.

But England would want to trust their best batter to assume responsibility in a must-win match at Leeds. Here are three reasons why Joe Root must bat at No. 3 for England in the third Ashes Test at Headingley:

#3 Adds more balance to the side

Ben Foakes can be included as a regular wicket-keeper

With Joe Root moving to the number three position, all the other batters can bump up one place. This will allow England to play Ben Foakes as a wicketkeeper-batter and will give more freedom to Jonny Bairstow to express himself.

After his dismissal at Lord’s sparked an outrage from the England camp, Bairstow will need to take control of the narrative. He was in sensational form in 2022, mostly because he was given the freedom to go out there and tonk the ball.

In 2022, he scored 681 runs for the summer, four centuries, at an average of 75.66. While Joe Root can take care of the new ball, Bairstow will be the key man in the middle order.

#2 Adept at handling the swinging ball

Headingley provides a lot of assistance to the seamers and as such, England would need their best batter to tackle the new ball. Australia could include fresh legs for this match and hence, Root will be the key to tackling the new Dukes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will play the high-risk game and so Joe Root becomes massively important. Dan Lawrence is still raw at the international level and he will struggle against an on-song Aussie pace attack.

In his home conditions, Joe Root could be the fulcrum around which the entire England batting can rotate.

#1 Root believes he is ready

England will face the absence of Ollie Pope, their No. 3 batsman, but Root affirms his readiness to step up in the batting order and take on the responsibility if needed.

Root expressed his commitment to playing for England and stated that as a senior player, he aims to give back to his teammates after leading as captain for a considerable period, emphasizing his evolving understanding of the game.

This could be the way to go for England if they have to arrest any loss of momentum early in their batting innings. Root is their best batter and he is more than able to withstand any pressure exerted early by a skilled Australian bowling unit.