Joe Root leads by example with superb century in Hamilton

Joe Root led by example as England’s frontline batsmen all finished their Test warm-up programme with heartening runs in the bank before next week’s first Test. Captain Root appropriately tops the charts after dropping himself down to number six but duly adding 115 on the final day of the second tour match against a New Zealand XI at Seddon Park to his unbeaten half-century against the pink ball in the first.

Bottom-of-the-table, by contrast, is incumbent Test number three James Vince – whose departure for five, lbw on the back foot to Logan van Beek, took his aggregate to 50 runs in three attempts in this week’s back-to-back fixtures.

England closed on 353 for nine on their second designated batting day, Root having hit 17 fours in his 135-ball century.