Apologetic England captain Joe Root waits to name playing XI for first Black Caps test ANDREW VOERMANSTU FORSTER/GETTY IMAGES England captain Joe Root wants his side to eliminate the costly periods they had in the recent Ashes series. An apologetic Joe Root couldn't confirm England's playing XI for the first test against the Black Caps on the eve of the match, but Ben Stokes is set to play some part. Ultimately the basics are there and are proven to work across all three formats, never mind day-night cricket and regular red-ball test cricket. England come into this series on the back of a 4-0 loss to Australia in the Ashes, which concluded at the start of January in Sydney. Root said his biggest takeaway from that series had been the importance of his team being on their game at all times.

Source: Stuff March 21, 2018 06:11 UTC