TON UP LIKE A SKIPPER

It was slow rather than spectacular.. but Root’s 17th century for England is likely to be his most important

JOE ROOT returned to form with a Test hundred that could be the most important innings he plays all winter.

The England skipper banished his recent struggles in the longest format with a patient ton that was the slowest of all the 17 he has scored, but almost perfect in its execution.

Alongside Rory Burns, who scored the second Test century of his career, England enjoyed their best day of the series since the opening exchanges.

At no stage did Root put a foot wrong as he tried to show his batting and leadership skills in equal measure and end speculation on how England might get the best out of him.

For all that Root will be keen to win in Hamilton and level the series against New Zealand, this innings was about much more than that.

This was a knock for Root to reaffirm his authority on the team as their premier batsman.

It was about him practising what he has been preaching along with coach Chris Silverwood, which is to score big first-innings runs no matter how long it takes.

This was Root’s slowest hundred, from 259 balls, but in the context of what he wants from his team it was a masterclass of denial, restraint and picking the moment to strike.

“It probably wasn’t my most fluent knock, but it felt good,” said Root. “When you’ve not scored runs for a couple of games you want to get back out there and make a contribution.

“There have been a number of little things bugging me and at times I’ve tried to be too perfect, so it was about trying to find a way.”

Burns agreed, saying: “It’s really nice to see the skipper get his runs. He’s a very good player and a lot of stuff has been said in recent times.

“Not scoring runs as a batsman might bring other things into the equation which isn’t necessarily true. Everyone’s behind him and knows exactly what he can do.”

There is no question about Root’s quality as a batsman – he is the best England have – but the theory that captaincy might have distracted him was a fair one.

Root (right) was averaging 27 in Test cricket this year before this match and had not scored a first-innings hundred in more than two years.

Burns (far right), now fully established as a Test opener, ran himself out. He added: “It was a slightly disappointing end, but I thought I played quite well.”