Joe Root is hoping to take his batting to the next level during England’s summer internationals, starting against Pakistan next month.
England’s Test captain wants to contribute some “really big scores” as they bid to bounce back from winter defeats in Australia and New Zealand.
Root accepts his conversion rate from 50 to 100 is something that needs improving and has pointed to other captains, including Yorkshire team-mate Kane Williamson, as examples to follow.
The Sheffield star returned to training at Emerald Headingley this week ahead of his two-match County Championship stint with Yorkshire at Essex and Surrey from next Friday, with international colleague Jonny Bairstow joining him on Monday.
“I want to set the example and lead from the front,” said Root. “And you do that by making some really big scores.
“I’ve not managed to go on this winter and get beyond 70 or 80. That’s a big driver for me, once I get in go and get big scores that win games. You don’t just contribute to a total, you really set a benchmark.
“You look around the world at guys like Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli. Whenever they’ve taken over the captaincy, they’ve gone to another level.
“I don’t see why I should be any different. I can see it as a real good motivator.”
