"When I see Root at the Sky Cart or at the presentation in a Test match he looks like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders"
Friday 22 November 2019 07:21, UK
Joe Root's loss of form can be arrested by being "bubbly" again rather than through huge technical adjustments, says Nasser Hussain.
The England captain took 21 deliveries to get off the mark on day one of the first Test in New Zealand and was then caught behind next ball.
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Root, now back in his favoured spot at No 4, had a mixed time at No 3 during the Ashes, with four half-centuries and three ducks.
"When Root comes over to speak to Ian Ward at the Sky Cart in a white-ball game, a World Cup game, he is that bubbly, cheeky chappie that is loving the game of cricket," Hussain told The Cricket Debate.
"When I see Root at the Cart or at the presentation in a Test match he looks like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"I think he has to go back to that bubbly character that enjoys batting - it's more a mindset than a technical thing for Joe.
"If I was [head coach] Chris Silverwood, two days before a Test match I would say to Joe, 'I'm in charge - you captain when the Test starts but I'm in charge now'. That's what Duncan Fletcher did with me."
Root was rested for England's T20I series against New Zealand earlier this month and instead spent time working with a coach at his former club Sheffield Collegiate.
Hussain, though, thinks Root has made changes that were unnecessary, saying the captain appeared "wooden" during his 22-ball knock against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui.
"I do a bit of coaching around Essex and I often hold up Joe Root and say 'look at how natural and rhythmical his batting is - but he didn't look as natural in this game, which is a worry," added Sky Cricket expert Hussain.
"When I saw him in the summer the timing and syncing of his trigger movements were off. I didn't think he needed to make massive changes but he has made massive changes.
"Now he is thinking about it and he looks a little bit more wooden."
Hussain, though, was encouraged by Dom Sibley's first Test innings - the opener making 22 on debut, including hitting the first ball he faced for four.
"What I liked about him was that he was calm, especially as he has had to wait a while for his Test debut," Hussain added of Sibley, who scored over 1,300 runs in County Championship Division One in 2019.
"He was helped by a good pitch and ideal conditions but he looked composed and let the ball come to him.
"The difference is percentages. In county cricket he will get a ball on middle and leg every two overs, which is bread and butter for him to clip away.
"In Test cricket you have to wait longer so your patience has to be that much longer.
"That is the main difference he will find. Bowlers will dry him up outside off stump and that's how he got out."
Watch day two of the first Test between New Zealand and England live on Sky Sports Cricket from 9.30pm on Thursday.
