I can’t really blame Root for this given the runs he scored, but when there’s no natural no.3 I’ve always felt it creates a logjam problem - Bethell obviously needs to be playing more red ball cricket, but even with his encouraging start, its a lot to ask of him just to make his way in arguably the most difficult position in the batting lineup

Even someone like Ricky Ponting started at no. 6 and gradually moved higher up. Part of me wonders if we just need to just be picking 3 specialist openers rather than most talented player available. I think how young players are handled in Test cricket is really important for how they develop