28 February 2023 , 09:15
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Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has suggested Joe Root could open the batting in the Ashes, with Zak Crawley under pressure after a poor run of form and Jonny Bairstow set to return after breaking his leg.
Head coach Brendon McCullum has stated that Bairstow will be "back in the side as soon as he's fit" and there has been much debate over where he fits in, given Harry Brook's exploits since replacing him at number five.
The common consensus appears to be that Bairstow will either replace Ben Foakes and keep wicket or replace Crawley and open like he does in white-ball cricket. However, Bairstow has previously been reluctant to entertain the idea of opening in Test cricket.
"Someone spouts off one idea and everyone jumps on the bandwagon," he told the Times in 2018. "I have never opened the batting other than in a dashing role for Yorkshire. To open the batting in Test cricket is a completely different skill set."
Root, meanwhile, began his career as an opener and partnered Cook at the top of the order when England won the Ashes 3-0 in 2013. And while working as a pundit for BT Sport, Cook was involved in a discussion about whether Root is England's greatest ever batter.
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After Cook said he felt Root was the best, fellow pundit and ex-England bowler Steven Finn chimed in, saying: "What Alastair didn't say, that he said off air, is that it is much harder being an opener, so to score those runs opening the batting you have to be the best."
Root opened alongside Cook in the 2013 Ashes and averages 41.70 at the top of the order for England (Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)While Cook simply shrugged at Finn's statement, it turned the debate on to who should open for England in the Ashes with Crawley's place at the top of the order in jeopardy, with Cook suggesting Root for the role.
"Interestingly, if Jonny Bairstow comes back in, he could put that whole argument to bed, couldn't he?" he said. "He could volunteer and go back up the order."
When asked if he meant Bairstow should open, Cook clarified: "No, Rooty." Root has opened a total of 11 times in Test cricket and averages an impressive 41.70, most notably scoring 180 against Australia at Lord's.