A dejected Joe Root insists England must follow the West Indies’ lead with the bat and improve quickly.
The Yorkshire batsman and national captain did not hide his disappointment after the second Test defeat in Antigua, which finished on Saturday.
Root’s side have suffered defeats by 381 runs and by 10 wickets, the latter signalling a series defeat in just seven days to a side many thought would be cannon fodder.
With the Ashes on the horizon, this defeat has given England the rudest of wake-up calls, and they have to respond immediately to avoid a 3-0 whitewash.
The third and final Test starts in St Lucia on Saturday afternoon.
On a challenging Antigua surface, England posted scores of 187 and 132, failing to dig in during their three-day defeat.
For the West Indies, who made 306 in their first innings, Darren Bravo in particular showed the way by batting five and three quarter hours for 50.
“We have to learn some lessons,” said Root.
“The way West Indies went about stuff in certain areas has been very skilled, especially how they batted (in the first innings) against some very high skilled bowling. That was frustrating.
“There were guys that will have to look at themselves individually. But on a surface like that you have to commit to whatever decision you make.
“It was definitely a bowler-friendly surface. I wouldn’t say it was a fair contest between bat and ball. But both sides have played on it, and they’ve managed certain areas better than us.
“We came here to win, and to find ourselves out of it with a game to go is hard to take. We have been outplayed, outperformed and have to take that on the chin.”
