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Joe Root aims to finish first summer as England Test captain with series win
Joe Root's first summer as England captain faces a defining final Test in a Lord's decider against West Indies.
Root's hosts suffered an unexpected setback at Headingley last week when the Windies defied their critics and shocked England by pulling off their first Test win in this country in 17 years.
It will be an uncomfortable bottom line for the Yorkshireman's maiden season in charge if, in the last of seven Tests in nine weeks, England come up short again and are forced to reflect on a decidedly mixed campaign of one 3-1 success over South Africa but then a 2-1 failure against tourists who have not won a Test series in this country since 1988.
England are odds-on 1/3 favourites with Sky Bet to win the match, while the Windies are 10/1 and the draw 7/2.
No-one will be able to quibble with Root's own output, of course, as he goes in search of a world-record 13th consecutive Test with at least one half-century against his name.
He has been his own biggest critic of late, citing the need to turn more of those 50s into centuries.
Although England have come to rely on their captain's wonderful consistency at number four, Root's returns are not among the conundrums they need to solve before the start of their Ashes campaign in Brisbane in November.
With just this Test to do so, Tom Westley's as yet inconclusive regression at number three is top of the list requiring a solution and the likely identity of their third seamer at the Gabba is another after England opted to replace Chris Woakes with Toby Roland-Jones here.
Asked about the prospect of going above AB de Villiers as the outright holder of the record for consecutive matches with half-centuries, Root said modestly: "I would much rather it be hundreds.
"Of course you want to be consistent, always contributing, but definitely I would like to convert a little bit more.
"I hope if I do go and get to a half-decent score I can kick on and make a bigger one."
There are more vexed issues – and three times, while pondering those concerning Westley, Roland-Jones and Woakes, Root prefaced his answer with the phrase: "It is a difficult one."
On the question of why Woakes has been dropped after returning from his side injury at Leeds, in favour of Roland-Jones on his home ground, Root suggested it is a 'horses-for-courses' switch.
"Going into this week, we have picked the side that suits conditions best, and Toby deserves the opportunity," he said.
"He knows the ground extremely well.
"He has had some great success here over the years and is full of confidence through the way he has played in Test cricket this summer."
On Woakes' status above Roland-Jones in the longer term, suddenly the jury appears to be out.
"It is hard to say," added Root.
"The way he has played for England over the last year or so, and such a focal point of our team, it is hard to look past that.
"When someone like Toby comes in and does as well as he has, it is a great problem to have.
"You want guys putting their hands up, putting in strong performances and making it difficult to leave them out."
Woakes was back at Headingley from a side injury which wrecked the majority of his season, and mustered only two wickets.
Root said: "He passed all the fitness tests and seemed fit ... (but) it is difficult to balance between being physically fit and bowling the right amount in games."
As for Westley, whose loss of form has coincided with an unpicking of his technique by some high-profile pundits, Root is hoping the answers can come from within rather than experts beyond the boundary.
"You have to get a balance between picking each others' brains when you can - but nobody knows his game as well as he does," he said.
"He has had a lot of success over the years. He is very smart, intelligent and desperate to take his chance this week.
"One of the biggest challenges of coming into the Test environment, and I remember when I started, is ... the exposure international cricket gives you.
"(It is) trying to find a way of overcoming that and going out there and knowing your own game as well and being strong enough to trust that - so you know if you are at your best you will be successful in this arena.
"Tom deserves the opportunity to play this week, and we hope he will go out and score a bag load of runs.
"I hope he can come back and show the strong character he has, and come back from a couple of low scores."