Joe Root, the face of new England: Ian Chappell

There are still skeptics among the lsquoflat earth mobrsquo but therersquos no doubt climate change has hit English cricketEnglandrsquos rapid progression from a timid attritional team to an aggressively fearless batting lineup backed by a skilled attack bowling with discipline has been a revelationTwo months ago England purely on the basis of being a participant had a ten per cent chance of winning back the Ashes on their early showing in the series theyrsquore at worst a 5050 betThe question is whether they can retain their entertaining but practical approach through the tough periods as well as when theyrsquore on topIf they can hold their nerve itrsquos a style that affords England their best chance of wresting back the AshesEnglandrsquos Joe Root kisses the badge on his helmet as he celebrates his century during Day One of the first Ashes Test in Cardiff on Wednesday Australiarsquos wicketkeeper Brad Haddin right and Shane Watson applaud PICPTIJoe Root is the symbol of the new England Hersquos not a gungho strokemaker like Ben Stokes or Jos Buttler or even Moeen Ali but therersquos never any doubt about his intent when on strike hersquos looking to score at every opportunity Itrsquos an intent that marks the difference between the average batsman and the best international playersJust as importantly hersquos displayed this approach when the team is in trouble He did it against New Zealand and repeated the dose against Australia at Cardiff This prompts the question whether like his young Australian counterpart Steve Smith he should agitate for a rise in the batting orderSmith has bucked a modern trend to languish in the middleorder as cover for early setbacks by adopting the cricketing equivalent of the Welsh rugby adage ldquoget your retaliation in firstrdquoIn addition to being a potential England captain Root has the ingredients to be a successful No 3 batsman Hersquos technically efficient plays both pace and spin well and can mount a counterattack This makes him a better option than the incumbent Gary Ballance a dogged but stodgy wicketpreserver who is easily bogged downIf England want further improvement they should swap these two in the batting order Ballancersquos regular periods of inactivity against both pace and spin will bog England down and frustrate the stroke makers at the other end He needs to devise a method of scoring singles more regularly so he doesnrsquot keep the faster scorers on edge while waiting to face a deliveryAlso his method against Mitchell Johnsonrsquos short deliveries a prod and a prayer are a confidence booster for a bowler who has struggled in English conditions but whose success is closely allied to Australiarsquos fortunes England dented Johnsonrsquos confidence in the first innings at Cardiff they shouldnrsquot then act as benevolent panel beatersThe sudden rise to stardom of players like Root and Smith is a reminder of how the game keeps regenerating Like Virat Kohli for India the maturity of skillful young players may not cause fans to forget a retired superstar but it gives them reason for continued interest in the gameJust as the game regenerates through its players it also evolves as a spectacle Two months ago no one couldrsquove predicted a drastic change of philosophy by England now no one can doubt theyrsquore a legitimate challenger for the urnThe tour began with Australia supposedly possessing a more penetrative attack After the early going itrsquos evident Australia has the faster attack but they also tend to be profligate If theyrsquore not taking wickets regularly the two Mitchells dilute Michael Clarkersquos captaincy advantage because they make it difficult for him to attack as hersquod wishThen therersquos the possible domino effect of Ryan Harrisrsquo departure Compounded by Starcrsquos injury it probably means an opportunity for Peter Siddle who could offer Clarke more control The domino effect is often precipitous among older teams and Australia will be concerned that Harrisrsquos injury sets off the topplingOn the other hand Englandrsquos disciplined bowling enabled Cook to face down a considerable demon the inability to erase the pesky lower half of Australiarsquos batting order cheaply Cardiff was a big improvement on Englandrsquos last Ashes series and the bowling perfectly complemented Rootrsquos substantial contribution