Root buries Ashes agony, seeks redemption against New Zealand

Mount Maunganui: England captain Joe Root rules out any kind of Ashes hangover as he looked to regain in the two-Test series against New Zealand, beginning on Thursday.

Root, who was dismissed for a duck three times during his dismal Ashes campaign against Australia, is focusing to overcome the weaknesses in his batting. He also down played the talks of being over burdened by the captaincy, despite England failing to regain Ashes on home soil.

Although both the teams did not name the squad on the eve of the first Test, Root hoped Jofra Archer will add teeth to their attack, dropping a hint the pacer is likely to find a place in the playing eleven.

On the other hand, New Zealand will not be dealing with tit-for-tat attitude as their pace spearhead Locky Ferguson has been rules out of the first match, despite captain Kane Williamson also taking a break in the series opener.

England have a psychological advantage over their rivals, after having defeated them in the controversial World Cup final on a boundary-count rule, which was highly criticized by the firmer greats.

They also defeated New Zealand in the recently concluded Twenty20 series via a series-deciding Super Over.

But while the wins were satisfying, Root said Test cricket was another level altogether and after failing to beat Australia he fancied England could start on the road to redemption against New Zealand.

“Long term it’s important that we look after Test cricket in England and we make it a priority,” he said.

“You look at the guys in the dressing room and they’re all desperate to get that right. We feel we’re in a strong position to take this team forward.” - ‘My game’s in good order’ - Root, who averages 47.91 but was well off his best with an average of 32.50 against Australia this year, was adamant the pressure of captaincy was not an issue.

“It’s very clear that I want to be leading this team moving forward,” he said.

“I’m not concerned about it. I know I’ve not performed as I’d like to in previous series and probably over the last year, but they’re challenges you face as an international player. It could have been exactly the same if I wasn’t captain.

“I’ve gone away and worked out a few things and feel like my game’s in good order coming into this series.” Despite Root’s confidence, New Zealand go into the series ranked second in the world, one spot ahead of England, and have won seven of their past eight home series including a 1-0 win in a two-match series against England 20 months ago.

Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, who took 32 of the 40 England wickets to fall in that series, were confirmed Thursday as again forming the bowling pace attack.

Agencies