England's struggling top order put on notice

England head coach Chris Silverwood has put his faltering top three on notice ahead of the Lord's Test against India, indicating Haseeb Hameed is closer than ever to a recall.

The lack of big top-order runs have been a consistent problem for Joe Root's side for some time, with Zak Crawley a growing cause of concern at No.3 with an average of just 11.14 in 2021.

Dom Sibley is doing a little better, averaging 21.56 in nine appearances this year, but has attracted unwanted attention for a pedestrian scoring rate which saw him make 46 runs in 203 balls in the drawn series opener at Trent Bridge.

"I would rather be accused of giving somebody one too many chances than not enough - I've made that clear from the start - but at some point I will have to make a decision," Silverwood said.

"We have to address and accept we are not getting those runs, so we have to look at the why. The question has been posed to the batting coaches as well - how do we make sure we give them the best opportunity to be successful?

"But ultimately if it isn't working, I have to take a view on why and how do I change that. Ideally, we get the guys scoring runs again, get the confidence back in them. But if that doesn't happen, obviously I have to have a look."

Hameed is waiting in the wings for a chance, almost five years since a broken finger cut short an eye-catching start to his England career in India.

His form dropped dramatically after that but, after swapping Lancashire for Nottinghamshire, he has rebuilt his game and capped a strong start to the season with a century against Virat Kohli's side in a warm-up match in Durham.

The case for a comeback is building and Silverwood insists he would have no concerns with granting the 24-year-old a second chance sooner rather than later.

"He's been fantastic. As a bloke he's fitted in beautifully, he works extremely hard and he's looked extremely good in the nets," he said. "I'm confident he's as ready as he could be.

"I think he is making a very strong case and at some point, we may make a decision and give him an opportunity."