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Question marks remain despite Joe Root's debut victory

Stuart Broad doesn't mind a spot of village cricket. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
Roar Pro
10th July, 2017
14

Test captaincy must seem quite easy for Joe Root at this point.

Fresh off the back of a composed first innings 190, which put England on their way to a convincing 221-run win over South Africa at Lord’s, Root will be eager to prove it wasn’t just beginner’s luck.

Root became the fourth consecutive England player to score a century in their captaincy debut, following Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook in reaching the milestone.

Despite all this, there remain questions surrounding the makeup of the side as we edge closer and closer to the Ashes, especially when it comes to the batting unit.

Aside from Root, Cook, all-rounders Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, people are divided as to who should round out the top seven.

South African-born Keaton Jennings is in line to partner Cook at the top of the order this summer. But he will need to fire during the rest of the South African series if he is to fend off competition from highly rated teenager Haseeb Hameed, Alex Hales and Mark Stoneman.

After impressing in his Test debut against India last year, Hameed would have been in the side if not for an awful start to the 2017 County season. He failed to pass 50 in seven first-class games and posted a measly average of 19.45 across that span.

Hales and Stoneman, on the other hand, are in terrific form. Hales, who played his last Test in August 2016, is fresh off scoring 187* in the Royal London One-Day Cup final. Stoneman is averaging 58.53 with three first-class centuries to his name already this season.

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This isn’t the only question mark, however.

England cricketer Gary Ballance

(Source: Wiki Commons)

Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance, who is currently occupying the No.3 slot in the lineup, seems to constantly be battling for his position in the team. Despite averaging over 100 in first-class cricket this year, Ballance has struggled to nail down his place in the national side and knows he must deliver on the big stage if he is to book his flight to Australia.

With the possibility of shifting Jennings down to first drop to accommodate for the inclusion of one of Hameed, Hales or Stoneman, the pressure is on Ballance to score runs in the next few Tests.

On the bowling front, having just bowled South Africa out for 361 and 119, you wouldn’t have thought there would be too many question marks.

Wrong.

Strike bowlers Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson will travel to Australia to lead the attack alongside front-line spinner Moeen Ali, barring any injuries.

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Durham quick Mark Wood is also expected to be on the plane, alongside Chris Woakes once he recovers from a side strain injury he picked up in the Champions Trophy.

This is where the guarantees end though.

Middlesex duo Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones are likely to fight for a reserve seamers role but will face competition from injured pair Liam Plunkett and Jake Ball once they are fully healed.

Second choice spinner Liam Dawson, who impressed in patches with four wickets against the Proteas, will be in with a shout of selection if England take two frontline spinners to Australia. But Dawson will have leggie Adil Rashid to contend with as England’s premier ODI spinner looks to earn a Test recall.

With all these questions left unanswered, the next three Tests against South Africa will be key in determining who will be on their way down under this summer, and who will be left in the cold.

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