Joe Root ‘holds the key to England series’

New Zealand paceman Kyle Jamieson said the tourists were making fresh plans to combat star batsman Joe Root as they bid to draw level in their three-Test series away to England, AFP reported.

The Black Caps, the reigning World Test champions, are 1-0 down in a three-match series heading into Friday’s second encounter at Trent Bridge.

And that’s mainly because former England captain Root made an unbeaten hundred to guide the hosts to a five-wicket win in the first Test at Lord’s completed on Sunday.

That fourth-innings knock of 115 not out also catapulted Root back to number two in the latest edition of the International Cricket Council’s Test batting rankings.

Root remains just behind Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne, but three places above New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, and could go into top spot if he is in the runs again in Nottingham this week.

Towering quick Jamieson, who took six wickets at Lord’s, was well aware of Root’s quality.

“He was probably the difference in the game in the end, he certainly batted pretty well,” Jamieson told reporters at Trent Bridge.

“We will certainly go away and make some plans. We’ve had some conversations already around how we want to attack him.”

There was good news for Jamieson too in the ICC rankings, with the 27-year-old — whose stellar start to his international career has yielded 72 wickets in 15 Tests at a miserly average of under 19 apiece — climbing back to third place in the bowling standings behind Australia’s Pat Cummins and India’s Ravichandran Ashwin.