Root aware that his T20 place is under pressure: "You've got to be at the top of it or you'll get swept away and eaten up"
Tuesday 22 October 2019 19:00, UK
England Test captain Joe Root says he is determined to "lead from the front" and "lay down a marker" in New Zealand after a frustrating Ashes series with the bat.
Root averaged 32.50 during the 2-2 draw with Australia - way down on his career Test record of almost 48 - with four half-centuries interspersed with three ducks.
The 28-year-old will be eyeing his first Test ton since February when England play a two-match series against the Black Caps in November and admits he has been seeking outside influences as he aims to rediscover his best form.
"I do brilliant work with (England batting coach) Graham Thorpe but every now and again when you're out of it, it's quite nice to go to other people," said Root, who has not batted in a first-team game for over a month.
"I'm throwing ideas around, using people outside of the bubble. Getting different points of view and different ways of looking at things is nice.
Root has been linked up with Josh Varley, the head coach of his boyhood club Sheffield Collegiate, as well as with former Yorkshire wicketkeeper Simon Guy.
"[Josh and I] have been doing a bit of work together, not much technical stuff but he's been doing a lot of flinging," added Root, whose top-score during the Ashes was 77 at Headingley.
"We've also been down to Denstone College, where Simon is head of cricket. Starting out he was a bit of a mentor to me and he knows my game like the back of his hand.
"I wanted to work on a few things so it's been good to get back into it. I want to start the winter with a bang and set a marker in terms of making big scores and leading from the front."
Root is not heading to New Zealand just yet, having been rested for the preceding five-match T20I series, alongside the likes of Ben Stokes, Jason Roy and Jofra Archer.
The Yorkshireman remains keen to play in next year's T20 World Cup in Australia - he was England's top run-scorer when they reached the final of the 2016 version in India.
But he is aware that Tom Banton - the second-highest run-scorer in the Vitality Blast this season, with 549 for Somerset - Dawid Malan and James Vince could all impress significantly against the Kiwis and put him under pressure for his place.
"If someone like Tom [Banton] comes in and sets the world alight and I've got to try and force him out in the limited opportunities I get to play then it's going to raise the standard of England cricket in that format," said Root.
"For me, I just have to keep improving and getting better and it will raise the bar for the team.
"That's the food chain that cricket is sometimes. You've got to be at the top of it or you'll get swept away and eaten up."
Watch England's tour of New Zealand, which features five T20Is and two Tests, live on Sky Sports Cricket in November and December.
