New Zealand bowled England out for 197 to win the first Test by an innings and 65 runs
Monday 25 November 2019 18:12, UK
Joe Root has warned that England’s new approach to Test cricket will take time to implement after they slumped to an innings defeat against New Zealand.
Root and recently-appointed England coach Chris Silverwood have stressed the need for the batsmen to display greater patience and occupy the crease for longer periods.
However, that formula proved elusive in the first Test against the Black Caps, with Root's men failing to bat out the final day after losing a clutch of wickets in the middle order for the second time in the match.
"We've spoken a lot recently about trying to bat longer and that'll take time - it's not going to happen overnight," Root told Sky Sports after his side were bowled out for 197 in their second innings.
"It's a mentality thing more than a technical thing, so we're trying to harness that early and learn from mistakes like this game. If we can do that, we'll see rapid improvement.
"On a surface that is a little bit two-paced and there's spin, you try and get yourself into your innings first, get accustomed to the conditions and then expand your game. We didn't do that frequently enough.
"In the first innings, we ended up in similar positions at four or five down for a similar score - the difference being that they had a guy get a double hundred and someone support him with a hundred.
"We had three guys who played extremely well - I'm not taking anything away from them - but we just have to do it more and for longer, making those 50s, 70s and 90s into 100s, 150s and 200s."
Root was among a number of batsmen whose mode of dismissal on the final day raised concerns as they slid to 138-8 before a ninth-wicket stand of 59 between Sam Curran and Jofra Archer delayed New Zealand's victory.
The captain was the first to depart for 11, appearing to be caught in two minds as he patted an innocuous Colin de Grandhomme delivery into the hands of Tom Latham at gully.
"I gave that ball far too much respect," Root admitted. "That should have gone for four or six over point. There were a few soft dismissals, if we're being brutally honest.
"I think it's quite difficult sometimes - you almost get yourself into a mode of looking to defend and half-heartedly play a shot which causes you to lose your wicket.
"It's very easy to look in depth at things we could have done better, but we have to give credit to a very disciplined bowling attack who know how to perform in these conditions."
Root was also keen to stress that patience is required with Archer, who burst onto the Test scene with some eye-catching performances in the Ashes series against Australia last summer.
But the fast bowler gained little reward at Mount Maunganui, finishing with figures of 1-107 as the home side eventually racked up a mammoth total of 615-9 declared.
"I think it's been a difficult Test match for Jof," added the England captain. "He's an extremely exciting talent, with a huge amount of skill and there are things he'll have to learn from this game.
"Maybe certain spells where he might have to ramp it up a little bit more, maybe he bowls a shorter spell here and there but that energy and effort has to be there all the time.
"He's a young guy at the start of his career and he's come onto the international scene and taken it by storm, but this (the Kookaburra) is a new ball that he's never bowled with before, in completely foreign conditions to him.
"It might take him time to get used to that. Having too high an expectation of him so early in his career is a very dangerous thing for us and I think we've got to be quite patient and understand he's not going to get it straight away."
Watch day one of the second Test between New Zealand and England from 9.30pm, Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket.
