Dr Gloom

Brown trousers time for the Aussies all of a sudden. If only we had a few more overs

Ok

That Denly is a better option than Root at 3? Erm, ok. Root has a test match ton at 3. He moved himself there to protect Denly so you should be telling Root himself that you’re right

Ok

It would have taken balls to ask them to chase 220 but our chances of victory would have also increased - more overs to skittle them out and more chance of taking wickets with them them playing shots to try to win the game. Even then the draw wluld have been the favourite result

We should have put them in earlier

I’m not the one suggesting he should open but remember that is where he started his test career. the problem is he’s our best player so naturally he ends up at 3, the most difficult role in the batting line up. He wants to bat at four and in an ideal world that’s where he would bat but we don’t have that luxury. He repromoted himself to 3 this time

We should declare as soon as stokes makes his ton. We’ve already more than enough runs.

No I still think he’s our best option at 3. There isn’t another player in the test team better qualified to play what is the most challenging role in the batting order. Could he do worse than all the others we’ve tried at the top of the order since Strauss and Cook? He didn’t look a natural opener when he first came into the side. Giving the captaincy to stokes and telling him to concentrate on his batting might help him.

We’re running out of tests though and we need to win the series to regain the ashes. This is a massive opportunity to share the series with Smith out. He’s scored about half their runs. Got to be bold and declare while they are still enough overs to bowl them out, if we’re not bowled out first. Big test of Roots captaincy.

250 and they’re out of the game though, which probably increases the chances of a draw because they won’t play as many attacking shots

Another 50 runs are probably enough

This game is up for grabs if England are aggressive. I fancy bowling them out in 50 overs without Smith and Buttler and Stokes need to go through the gears. You almost want to set them a total that gives them an outside chance of a win as it increases our chances if they’re not just playing for the draw. Massive call to make though if it goes tits up.

He’s been out of form in tests wherever he’s played recently, which I suspect is because of the burden of the captaincy rather than his batting position. I think in an ideal world he would play at 4, which is where he clearly wants to bat. The problem is we don’t have a number 3 and he’s our senior batsman I’ve seen some people on twitter saying he should even be given another go as opener.

Fortress Carrow Road