England test batting options in absence of skipper Joe Root

With Joe Root missing the First Test of the summer against the West Indies a week today as his wife Carrie gives birth to their second child, the headline-grabber was Ben Stokes becoming England’s 81st men’s Test captain.

But perhaps more important than replacing Root’s captaincy is replacing his runs. For all the debate about his conversion rate (just 17 of his 65 half-centuries have been converted into three figures), what captaincy does to his batting and where he should bat, Root remains England’s most consistent and classy Test batsman.

He has scored more runs (7,599) and has a better average (48.4) than any other England player since his debut eight years ago and this will be just the second match he has missed. He can be flighty, but Root is a formidable player.

Looking at the two teams (captained by Stokes and Jos Buttler) for the three-day intra-squad match that began today and was being streamed on ecb.co.uk, it is clear England’s depth chart is weaker among batsmen than bowlers, where at least six Test quality quicks are competing for three spots.

The batting is shakier still without its fulcrum. Rory Burns and Dom Sibley will open and Ollie Pope, all of 22, suddenly looks the key man alongside Stokes in the middle order.

Which leaves two spots. The No3 berth is likely to be occupied by Joe Denly, whose presence is a peculiar mix; at once unconvincing and reassuring. After 14 Tests, he averages 30 — and plenty have been dropped with better records than that, especially aged 34.

Yet, he has provided value in soaking up more than 100 balls in 11 of his last 18 innings. England’s top order has been so porous for so long that Denly has served an important function, shielding Root and Stokes from the new ball.

Were Root available, Zak Crawley, who like Pope is 22, would have put plenty of pressure on his Kent team-mate Denly. He looked increasingly accomplished in South Africa in January and has all the shots, even if he is raw.