New Zealand vs England 2018: 5 England players to watch out for in the Test series

#2 Joe Root

This New Zealand series will test Joe Root as captain as well.

Joe Root is one of the most consistent batsmen going around in world cricket. His contribution is very important for England to do well in any series. But he has had just one problem as far as his batting is concerned. He is not converting his 50s into 100s.

The last time Joe Root scored a Test hundred was against West Indies at Edgbaston where he scored 136 in England’s first-ever day-night Test match. However, Root has batted in 12 innings after that and has gone past the 50-run mark on 7 occasions. But he has failed to convert even one of those into a hundred. His highest score is 83. He even struck 5 fifties in the Ashes series but it didn’t have any effect as he got out after getting starts.

As captain, this will be Joe Root’s fourth series. He won his first assignments – South Africa (3-1) and West Indies (2-1), both at home. However, his real test as captain came in the Ashes series where the England players were in the news for off-field distractions and the team wasn’t performing well enough.

Joe Root, the captain, has his task cut out as England will be eager to maintain their good record in New Zealand and also improve their recent overseas record. Hence, Joe Root, the batsman and the captain will be in the spotlight in this upcoming Test series.