England may turn to Gary Ballance again but bowling remains the problem | Vic Marks

Joe Root will have some input for the South Africa Test next week but the new captain will not be the only one having difficulty in naming an able-bodied paceman

A captain is seldom more powerful in selection than before his first Test in charge. On Saturday morning Joe Root’s squad for the opening Test of the series against South Africa, which starts at Lord’s on Thursday, will be revealed and it will surely have the imprint of the new leader.

Root’s thoughts about the batting order, most specifically where he himself should bat, will be unusually relevant. There has been the suggestion that he may revert to No4 now that he is captain. But since England’s last Test match in Chennai in December such a move has become increasingly inconvenient.

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