Will Joe Root fix the anomaly?

Despite playing a meaningful innings against a moderate Sri Lankan attack Ollie Pope needs more convincing knocks away from his home ground to prove hersquos a substantial number three batsmanOtherwise Pope is in danger of becoming the polar opposite of Joe Rootmdasha capable captain with a feel for the job but an inconsistent batsmanRoot on the other hand is a batsmanmdashespecially in Englandmdashwho is as consistent as night follows day but his captaincy attributes were negligible Root is currently in imperious form but hersquoll be bordering on 35 years of age by the time the next Australian tour takes place in November 2025While Root has a passable average in Australia therersquos the notsominor fact that in 27 innings hersquos yet to compile a Test century in the country Those knocks were all played when Root was at the peak of his powers so this will probably be his last chance to rectify that anomalyOn Rootrsquos three tours of Australia England have lost 13 of the 15 Tests played Englandrsquos former skipper is yet to experience the thrill of victory in Australia and this is another major hurdle The scars are unhealedBatting in the middleorder Pope had a poor last tour of Australia and should be considered a potential weakness Itrsquos not just Popersquos renowned skittishness which should interest the Australian pace bowlers but there are also some technical flaws that can be exploitedPope a potential weaknessThe Australian pace bowlers will hope to break the risktaking opening partnership and bring Pope to the crease early If they then dismiss Pope quickly it means the ever dangerous Root will be batting while the ball still has plenty of shine That is a dream situation under Australian conditionsIf Australia do cause concerns for Pope and England are forced to omit him then the crucial number three spot becomes a revolving door Currently the English squad are limited in players who are qualified to do a sound job at number three Without Pope England would also be missing a suitable replacement captain if Ben Stokes suffers an injuryThat would be a crucial double blow to England However Australiarsquos excellent pace attack is also at a stage where age has a diminishing effect Only Pat Cummins who is also a fine captain will be at the notsoworrying age of 32 Both Mitchell Starc whorsquoll be 35 by the time England tour and Josh Hazlewood age 34 are at a point where skill decline and injury have a detrimental effect Offspinner Nathan Lyon is also in that category and aging is more of a concern for bowlers than it is for excellent batsmen like RootAlso Read Its watching someone like Kallis play Joe Root heap praises on this England playerMeanwhile Australia received the news theyrsquove probably been expecting but were dreadingmdashopener Will Pucovski most likely going to be missing from their ranks following medical assessmentWho will replace WarnerAn inform and healthy Pucovski would be a blessing for Cumminsrsquos team following the retirement of David Warner with his pugnacious skill Australia now have a season to unearth a suitable replacement for Warner or else theyrsquoll have to continue the unsatisfactory experiment of using Steve Smith as an openerUnfortunately Pucovskirsquos technique against shortpitched bowling was laid bare at firstclass level It was absolutely disastrous by 2024 when Tasmanian quick Riley Meredith floored him in a Sheffield Shield match Pucovski became a concern for any selection panel and by this stage nobody could risk choosing him for AustraliaAlso Read David Warner signs twoyear contract with Sydney ThunderIn his current cricketing and mental state itrsquoll be a blessing if Pucovski is left to continue his rehabilitation in virtual anonymityIn the meantime England are wisely pursuing a policy of choosing players who can have a positive effect under Australian conditionsWhilst this is an admirable policy Englandrsquos bigger priority is for Pope to find consistently good form and cement the crucial number three position If Pope is still misfiring then Englandrsquos tour in 202526 could be another frivolous trip to Australia