ENG vs NZ | Don’t want us to be considered a negative team who plays boring brand of cricket, states Joe Root

England had plenty of questions to answer - on or off the pitch - after the conclusion of the First Test at Lord’s where they were comfortably overpowered by the visitors. While England are forced to make a change, with Ollie Robinson suspended, it would be interesting to see how many changes they would make in conditions suitable to their style of bowling. 

One of the criticisms from the Lord’s Test was England’s approach in the game, where they were constantly chasing the game, which has been viewed as negative and boring. However, English skipper Joe Root cleared it out, stating that he doesn’t want his side to be considered that way and would definitely be aiming to be more aggressive in Edgbaston if the opportunity arises. 

"We're very keen to put in five days of strong cricket this week and win the series. If the opportunities arise, we'll definitely look to be aggressive. I don't want us to be considered a negative team who play a boring brand of cricket. We have some very exciting players who are capable of some wonderful passages of cricket and hopefully that will come to light this week,” said Root on the eve of the second Test, reported ESPNCricinfo.

Root stated that it would be a prime opportunity for the youngsters to leave a mark, after their collective failure in the middle-order. The likes of Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence and James Bracey failed to make an impression in the Lord’s Test. 

"They have an opportunity, but also a responsibility to play the situation in front of them to the best of their ability, and to try and eradicate any other thoughts, other than getting absorbed in that moment and get ready for that next ball,” added Root. 

“Guys come into this team and can seamlessly fit in and do their roles. Hopefully guys will feel like that tomorrow and take their chance. The lads are fully aware of that and are talented enough to make big contributions."

Away from the pitch, the English skipper also insisted that the team is bent on making the game more inclusive while still educating themselves further, in the light of the historical tweets found from the players. 

"The group of players we have now is very much committed to moving the game forward, to making it a better place, making it more inclusive and educating ourselves further. We're going to have to front up to what has happened, but ultimately we want to move forward in a really positive way, to keep going on this journey we've started of trying to better our sport."