After England's dull tour of the West Indies, Joe Root hardly got any sympathy from the critics and fans. The woeful defeat in Grenada extended England's run without a victory since August last year.
Root's form was never questioned because his bat was still doing the talking, but his tactical acumen and leadership qualities came under the microscope.
Still, Root insisted that he was the best man for the job and that England were not far away from getting things right. These views were reinforced by Paul Collingwood when he said "he couldn't be more positive" about Root.
A period of delusion ended and common sense prevailed as Root resigned from the captaincy and England entered a new era.
After the Ashes nightmare, Root was shaken and when he returned from the Caribbean, he was, probably, a broken fellow who was trying hard to remain positive.
Opportunities came repeatedly - but he never punched the buzzer in time or answered the right questions when it mattered the most.
Joe Root in new era of English Test cricket
Joe Root now features in the English team as the premium batter under the captaincy of his friend and teammate, Ben Stokes, and Brendon McCullum as the head coach.
The new era began against the World Test Champions - New Zealand - at the home of cricket - Lord's, where the comeback kings, James Anderson and Stuart Broad shone with the ball.
Anderson's first over hinted that he was never away. Broad's impactful presence was felt when he triggered a collapse in New Zealand's second innings just as they were taking the game away, courtesy of a stubborn partnership between Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell.
After waiting for 388 deliveries for the fifth wicket to fall, Broad and England picked up three in three for a remarkable team hat-trick. New Zealand collapsed and asked England to chase 277 in the fourth innings.
The constant switching between middle and leg guard by Alex Lees breached his defence. Zak Crawley's nick to the slip, Ollie Pope's unconvincing stay at the crease, and Jonny Bairstow's witless shorter-format drive had put England in a mess, yet again!
Joe Root rescues England yet again
At 69 for 4, England looked towards their most experienced campaigners to fix things. Ben Stokes had joined Joe Root with the intention of arresting a collapse and injecting solidity so that the team didn't lose their way.
Playing your shots is hugely welcome in modern day cricket, whereas leaving the ball, even in a Test match, is regarded as boring. But, as a matter of fact, leaving the ball is equally important to build an innings and Root realizes this fact better than most.
Root's partner Stokes also invested in composure after being saved by the over-stepping of Colin de Grandhomme and saved narrowly by luck while taking a risky single against Will Young's throw.
McCullum's philosophy is to attack and entertain, but with this England team, such a ploy is still risky and the outcome of that philosophy will take time. Thus, resolve was the best option to deny the Champions.
Stokes waited for his time and smashed big hits. At the other end, like a tailor, Root was knitting with a focused mind so that the ultimate product was impactful. His target was the arc between fine and square leg and midwicket.
He simply curbed his intent to drive through the offside. While the Kiwi pacers started to bowl a bit straighter, Root would manouever the ball smoothly in those areas with perfectly timed flicks.
67 runs were fetched from those regions and despite losing Stokes, Root was well set to steer the ship home.
The fourth day witnessed a murky sky and obviously, one would expect the New Zealand swing bowlers to cash in. But Root was on a mission to rediscover his mojo that was lost in Australia as he shuffled down perfectly to flick one for a single off Tim Southee's first ball to gain rhythm.
The runs then started to flow from the bat of Joe Root, who was cautious earlier in his innings. A clip through midwicket against Southee brought Root's ninth Test hundred since 2021 and he became the 14th man in the history of Test cricket to reach the milestone of 10,000 Test runs.
He stitched a 120-run partnership with Ben Foakes, who gave Joe Root enough support as England were greeted with cheers. Root had a torrid time in the last year or so but never lost the smile on his face. Perhaps that was something which has helped him to conquer the adversities.
Note: This article has been published at Sportskeeda on 06/06/2022 ENG vs NZ: Joe Root steers English ship safely to the shore
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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