
WELLINGTON - England's bowlers will have learned a lot from their series defeat to New Zealand, particularly in terms of how to battle through adversity on flat wickets, which will stand them in good stead for the tour of South Africa, captain Joe Root has said.
The England attack were heavily criticized in media back home for their lack of penetration and inability to adapt to two relatively benign pitches at Bay Oval and Seddon Park, which led to a 1-0 series loss on Tuesday.
"We've now seen what it can be like if the surfaces do get like this with the Kookaburra ball," Root told Britain's Sky Sports. "We have to learn very quickly and take that forward into those four games.
"You've got to learn from the opposition as well. You look at someone like Neil Wagner - he's got a big heart, a big engine, and keeps running.
"And that's what you want, you want guys who, time and time again, want to be putting themselves in that position, to keep wanting to create chances and keep trying to change the game."