Root replaces Denly at No. 3 in opener

London, July 30 

England skipper Joe Root looks certain to bat at No. 3 in the first Ashes Test starting in Birmingham on Thursday in the latest attempt to beef up England’s flimsy top-order. 

Root, England’s best batsman, has been reluctant to bat at three, probably as a result of the unreliability of a succession of opening combinations. 

Ashes debutant Joe Denly confirmed that Root had phoned him this week and said he wanted to bat at three, dropping Denly to fourth man in. “I’m very excited,” the 33-year-old Kent batsman said. “I wasn’t too fussed really where I was batting, it’s just great to be in that starting eleven. I’ve batted at four before, playing for Kent and throughout my career so for me it was not a big issue. I think Rooty just wants to get involved in the game and get up there and get out in the middle and hopefully make a lot of runs. I don’t think there’s more to it than that,” he added. 

Denly batted at three in the one-off Test against Ireland last week, scoring 23 in the first innings in which England were dismissed for an embarrassing 85. He made 10 in the second innings and was run out by Root. Root has batted at three in 41 of his 149 Test innings, averaging 31 compared to 46 at No. 4. He has also opened the batting on a few occasions. — Reuters

Khawaja, Pattinson FOR opener  

LONDON: Australia coach Justin Langer has revealed Usman Khawaja and James Pattinson are set to play in the first Test. “Usman Khawaja will definitely be in,” Langer said. “He’s fit, ready to go, he’s playing well. He’s a seasoned pro for us, he averages 40-odd in Test cricket, his hamstring is good, he’s running well, he’s passed all the fitness tests so he’s ready to go. He’ll bat No. 3.” — Agencies

Starc unlikely   

Mitchell Starc is likely to miss out on a berth in the starting XI when the team begins their Ashes campaign. While Pattinson will return to Test cricket in more than three years, he is likely to partner Pat Cummins with Starc and Josh Hazlewood fighting it out between them and Peter Siddle for the third pacers’ spot. “There’s probably three to be fair, Starcy, Peter Siddle and Josh Hazlewood, for one spot,” coach Langer said.

8 Different opening pair for England —Rory Burns and Jason Roy — in the past three years and the 16th since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012