Joe Root has called for patience as England’s batsmen look to provide the cornerstone for a winning formula in Test Match cricket.
Root accepted his share of the blame for their Test defeat against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui overnight, going 1-0 down in a two-match series.
England’s batting let them down twice in the game.
They were well placed after day one at 241-4, only to post a first-innings 353 amidst a number of ill-judged shots.
In contrast, New Zealand were 127-4 and made 615-9 declared, including a double century for wicketkeeper BJ Watling and maiden hundred for Mitch Santner.
Then, England stumbled to 197 all out on the final day to leave them with only a drawn series to play for when the two sides reconvene in Hamilton on Friday – Thursday evening UK, 10pm.
Captain Root scored two and 11 as his frustrating run of form continues.
With a new coach in Chris Silverwood in charge, the pair have spoken about putting a bigger emphasis on Test improvement after a drawn home Ashes series in the summer and the one-day World Cup success.
And batting long is the key ingredient to that.
