England captain Joe Root insists his team will not panic after New Zealand humbling at Edgbaston

‘It would be the wrong time to start panicking’: Joe Root insists England will not ‘rip up’ their Test team after New Zealand humbling

  • New Zealand recorded their first Test series victory over England since 1999
  • The loss was just the third suffered by England on home soil since 2008
  • Joe Root admits his side have to ‘be honest and learn some hard lessons


Joe Root has insisted England will not ‘rip up’ their Test team after a dismal eight-wicket defeat by New Zealand at Edgbaston meant the first home series defeat under his leadership.

The England captain admitted his side had to ‘be honest and learn some hard lessons’ after they were dismissed for 122 on a blameless surface, but refused to panic as their winless streak extended to five games – their longest for nearly three years.

‘It’s been a frustrating and disappointing performance this week,’ said Root. ‘I don’t think we’ve given a fair account of ourselves. We’ve been outplayed in all three departments, particularly the batting.

Joe Root has insisted England will not ‘rip up’ their Test team after their defeat to New Zealand

‘But it would be the wrong time to start panicking and rip up all the hard work we have done for such a long period of time. Historically, we have done that going into major tournaments and major series, and it’s made things even worse.

‘Ultimately it’s about getting this group, taking what has happened and making them better and more resilient.’

Root also shouldered some of the blame himself after making just four and 11 at Edgbaston.

The dismal defeat was just the third suffered by England on home soil since 2008

The dismal defeat was just the third suffered by England on home soil since 2008

‘As the leading run-scorer within our squad, I feel like I’ve put a lot of pressure on those guys by not performing. As captain, you pride yourself on getting big runs and leading from the front, and I’ve not managed to follow through on that.’

Asked whether he had felt hamstrung by the absence of senior players, Root replied: ‘That’s out of my hands, to a degree. One thing we have got from these games is that we have more knowledge on certain players, and we are better off for that. 

‘In terms of having our best 11, I’d like to think that if we are all fit and ready that will be the case for the five Test matches against India.’