Cricket: Atherton backs 'angelic' Root to take number 3 hotseat

Joe Root opened with Alastair Cook in the last Ashes series. Photo / AP

Mike Atherton says the "angelic smile" of baby-faced batsman Joe Root makes him the ideal choice to take over as England's new No 3 for the second test in Adelaide.

The former England opener said Root managed to "disarm" Australian firebrand Mitchell Johnson in the tense climax of the first test to survive on 26 not out, and prove he can stand up to the verbal and 150km/h heat.

After the departure of Jonathan Trott because of a stress-related illness, England are tossing up between No 6 Root and experienced run-machine Ian Bell as his replacement in the firing line at first drop.

Either way, England will need to find a new middle order batsman for Adelaide, with allrounder Ben Stokes gaining support for a test debut.

Root is an opener by trade and partnered Alastair Cook at the top during the last series in Britain, scoring 180 against Australia at Lord's.

For the most part, though, Root struggled in the winter when the likes of Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle pitched the ball up.

But Atherton said Root was ready.

"I thought Root played really well at the dying end of the test at the Gabba; I thought he looked really solid," he told Sky.

"He also dealt with all of the verbals. It was a very intense passage of play and his angelic smile seemed to disarm Mitchell Johnson as well."

However, former Australian test captain Ian Chappell and ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain are advocates of Bell, 31, who was man of the series in the winter, scoring a century in each of England's victories.

Hussain said Bell, who has long batted at No 5, is a classic first drop who can solidify England's top order.

"Bell is a high-class, experienced player with lots of touch. He's got runs against Australia of late and he is the obvious man to move up to number three," Hussain said.

Jonny Bairstow shapes as a logical No 6, unless Zimbabwean-born Gary Ballance can find some form in the tour match at Alice Springs.

However, England greats Atherton, Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison all believe the man to come in on a drop-in Adelaide Oval wicket should be allrounder Stokes.

"If they did play Stokes at six, and if the pitch looked very flat, that would give them the option of bringing Monty Panesar in and playing a second spinner, with Stokes as the third seamer," said Atherton.

- AAP