Have to front up, learn some hard lessons: Root after defeat against New Zealand

Birmingham : England Test captain Joe Root on Sunday said that his side needs to front up and learn some hard lessons after losing the two-match series against New Zealand.

Neil Wagner and Matt Henry took three wickets each as England was bundled out for 122 in the second innings, and in the end, New Zealand won the second Test on Day Four comfortably by eight wickets here at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday.

"It's been a frustrating and disappointing performance this week. I don't think we've given a fair account of ourselves. We've been outplayed in all three departments, particularly the batting. We didn't get the runs in the first innings. We missed chances in the field and didn't help our bowlers in that respect. And with the bat in the second innings, we were poor," ESPNcricinfo quoted Root as saying.

"Sometimes in Test cricket, you can have a poor session with the ball and you're still very much in the game. But a session that like can cost you a Test. That's where we find ourselves. It's cost us the series and we have some hard lessons to learn. We have to look at where we can get better individually and collectively. We need to be honest about that. We have to have some hard conversations and move forward," he added.

No England batter was able to stay at the crease for a long time in the second innings and as a result, the hosts were bundled out for 122. For the Kiwis, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner scalped three wickets each.

"We have to front up, look to get better, and learn some hard lessons sometimes. We've all underperformed this week. But we have to be constructive. I think every single one of those guys has proven they can score big Test runs. I think it would be the wrong time to start panicking and trying to rip up all the hard work we've done for such a long period of time. It's something that historically we've done going into big tournaments and big Test series and it's made things even worse," said Root.

"There's a huge desire to keep getting better as a team. We know there's talent and ability in the group. Sometimes you really learn about a group of players, going through a difficult period like this. We have had a poor week, a poor series, and have got to front up to that. But it doesn't make them bad players. There's been a lot of talk about technique and batting. My view is batting is very much an individual thing. There's no right or wrong way of doing it. Look at the best players in the world: they all have different methods of how they play. How they stand, their bat paths, where they score their runs," he added.

Talking about his own form, Root said: "As the leading run-scorer within our squad currently I feel like I've put a lot of pressure on those guys by not performing myself. As a captain, you pride yourself on getting big runs and leading from the front and I've not managed to follow through on that. So I've probably compounded that situation slightly."

England will now lock horns against India in the longest format as both these teams will play five Tests against each other, beginning August 8.