England’s No. 3 batter, Ollie Pope, was ruled out of the Ashes after suffering a shoulder injury while fielding in the second Test at Lord’s. The hosts managed to keep their hopes of reclaiming the Ashes alive with a pulsating three-wicket at Headingley in the third Test. However, they couldn’t find a proper solution to the No. 3 conundrum.
In the first innings at Headingley, the Ben Stokes-led side sent the talented Harry Brook at No. 3. He failed to make an impact as he was dismissed for just three runs. England tried something out-of-the-box in the second innings as they sent all-rounder Moeen Ali at the crucial batting position. The southpaw couldn’t impress as he was sent packing for five runs by Mitchell Starc.
Nasser Hussain feels that Joe Root, who continued batting at No. 4 in the third Test, should go up to No. 3 in the absence of Pope as he is England’s best batter. In the same light, the former England captain said that he would try to convince Root to move one spot up in the batting order in the games to come.
“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,” Hussain said while speaking to Sky Sports.
England will look to get even in the ongoing Ashes 2023 series with a win at Old Trafford
The home side is 1-2 down in the Ashes at the moment. With two more games remaining, England will have to win both to reclaim the prestigious Ashes urn that is currently in Australia’s possession.
After consecutive losses in the first two Tests, England bounced back to win at Headingley. On July 11, Tuesday, the hosts announced their squad for the fourth Test that will be played in Manchester beginning July 19. No changes have been made to the 14-man squad that was picked for the third Test.