By Nasser Hussain for the Daily Mail
Published: 22:30 GMT, 22 January 2019 | Updated: 23:37 GMT, 22 January 2019
View
comments
The area within the England team needing most focus ahead of this summer's Ashes is the top of their order - and that will be something they can address during this Test series in the Caribbean.
England are moving towards a more multi-dimensional side under Joe Root's captaincy but there's still work to do as none of the current top three has really established himself in his position.
Jonny Bairstow has made a good start but will want to nail down that No 3 berth. And Keaton Jennings and Rory Burns will want some big scores so that when selection comes around for that first Test match against Australia their names are pencilled in.
Jonny Bairstow has made a good start but will want to nail down that No 3 berth on this tour
Overall the batting is still vulnerable, especially at the top, but because of the depth they possess - in the likes of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Ben Foakes they have the best late middle-order in the world - they can often cover that.
If they can combine that with a top three that fires - which England have not had since they were world No 1 with Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott - they will only get better. For all the brilliance of Kevin Pietersen, that side was actually built on that three.
The best in history tend to be like this. Look at where England are right now, then look back at the all-powerful West Indies of Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Viv Richards - and Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting of Australia
