ENG vs WI | Skipper Joe Root returns as Joe Denly faces snub 

The England Test skipper also confirmed that they have dropped Joe Denly, who managed scores of 18 and 29 in Southampton. Overall, the Kent batsman averages under 30 in Tests and has managed only six half-centuries in 28 innings so far. In the absence of England’s regular No. 4 Joe Root, Zak Crawley had taken the position and also scored a splendid 76. But with Denly not being in the team, Root said that Crawley would be promoted to the No. 3 slot. 

"It's never an easy decision, never easy having to leave someone out. With Joe over a period of time he's done a brilliant job for us, he's helped show our identity as a side and how we played moving forward. It's a very difficult decision but we've gone a different way. You watch Zak's progression since he's been involved in the team, his game has continued to get stronger. Joe is someone who has done a fantastic job for us over a period of time and he'll be as frustrated as anyone that he's not been able to covert those opportunities," Root told British media on Wednesday.