England vs West Indies 2017: Five areas where the hosts must work on

#4 Find a helping hand for Joe Root in the middle order

Can Malan become a pillar of the middle order

Currently, England's middle order is all about Joe Root. The skipper is the foreward, body, and epilogue of the story for the middle order. His prolific run-making and consistent batting have overshadowed the gaping holes that exist in the middle order.

Also, the trio of Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, and Moeen Ali have recused the team on too many occasions. The sight of one among the three walking at the crease in a critical situation and then steering the home to normalcy has become extremely common.

Except for Joe Root, there is nothing of substantial quality in the middle order and that is hurting the English team. The current pallbearers Tom Westley and Dawid Malan have shone in bits and parts but have failed to create a lasting impression.

Garry Ballance was offered an extended run but he too faded away with time. Ben Duckett's inclusion brought fresh air in the middle order, but in seven innings, he managed to get only one score of fifty.

Malan has scored two fifties in his last three innings and currently, he is the best bait for Root and Co. He deserves some chances as he has behind him an experience of more than 140 first-class games.

However, the future seems bleak for Westley who in his four Test appearances has made scores of 25, 59, 29, 9, 8, 3, and 8. But the question is, if not Westley then who?