England vs Sri Lanka ODI series 2016: The combined XI

#3 Joe Root

There is little doubt that Joe Root is currently the best England batsman across all formats. Thus, he assumes the all important position of number 3, where he can drop anchor and allow everyone else to play around him.

The fact that he has a watertight technique coupled with a whole array of strokes makes him an almost impossible batsman to bowl to. Root also has the power game which is so very important in this day and age, and can innovate with ridiculous ease.

He did not have a very fruitful test series, and this will make him hungry to go out and express himself in the way he does best. An average of 44.34 and a strike rate of 84.46 makes him a special player and an in-form Joe Root can have a tremendous impact on the game.