Root insists confidence is undimmed

If England were downcast after a 405-run drubbing in the second Investec Test at Lord's, you would not have known it from their demeanour as they reconvened at Edgbaston after a few days downtime.

Before practice, the squad larked and joked around and England's now traditional game of football to warm up took on greater proportions than ever before, as Stuart Broad chased Joe Root almost all the way round the Edgbaston outfield and the recalled Jonny Bairstow reprised his role as goalhanger-in-chief. Bearing in mind that it was on this ground a decade ago that Glenn McGrath trod on a cricket ball while playing rugby and altered the course of a series, that may not have been sensible.

Root's press conference was conducted in much the same chipper fashion. England, he insisted, have such belief and confidence that bouncing back from heavy defeats is not an issue; downtime is crucial in a long series; and England's order and personnel changes - with Bairstow in for Gary Ballance and Ian Bell and Root himself bumped up a place in the order - would be seamless, and that they would continue "to play their own game."

Of his old Yorkshire team-mate Bairstow - who is averaging 108.88 with five centuries in the County Championship this season, Root said: "Jonny will be so excited and he couldn't be in better form right now. He'll be determined to emulate that on the highest stage. It's never easy to come in to such a big series but he's averaging 100 with five hundreds under his belt. He'll be desperate to carry on the great form he's shown this season so far."

Certainly in the nets, where England used two left-arm net bowlers - admittedly not of either Mitchell's pace - to get in the groove, Bairstow looked in fine touch, compulsively hooking the short ball - a perceived weakness in the early part of his international career - with his tweaked, higher backlift. Mark Wood, who passed a fitness test on Monday morning, bowled without obvious discomfort.

Bairstow is charged with shoring up a batting order that has continually struggled in recent times, finding itself three wickets down for less than 52 eight times in their last seven Tests, and Root was quick to play down the changes in the order that have come with Bairstow's recall.

"Ian's played a lot at three and I'll go up to four so not a lot will be changing. Every international player is playing for their place at all times. Ian's record is fantastic and he's playing at his home ground. Last time the Ashes were in England he was outstanding and I'm sure he will want to out a marker down and get form that he will stay in for the rest of the season.

"The top order just have to go out and play their own game. It's not gone to plan so far but we've got some really talented players out there and it's about looking after their own games and going about their business in the same way as when they're successful. It's about making sure we do everything we can to build big partnerships and put them back under pressure.

"Throughout this summer we've always come back from heavy defeats well. There's so much confidence in the camp and we'll be looking to put them back on the back foot on Wednesday.

He could not, however, offer much insight into England's startling inconsistency which has seen three strong victories - Grenada, Lord's and Cardiff - followed by equally thumping defeats.

"It's hard to put my finger on it. We're just not as consistent as we'd like to be. It's not through lack of effort. We've got a few young players finding their feet and it will come with time."

All, then, according to Root at least, is well in England's garden. But with a splash of grass on the Edgbaston pitch - in more ways than one - and Mitchell Starc goading England into leaving it that way, quite how deep the psychological scars of Lord's are, will soon become clear.