Root: We threw absolutely everything at New Zealand
England could not have done any more to beat New Zealand in the second Test, according to proud captain Joe Root.
Captain Joe Root revealed his pride at England's efforts after they fell short of a second-Test win against New Zealand and lost the series 1-0. The tourists could only manage a draw in Christchurch as the Black Caps battled to 256-8 in their second innings despite Stuart Broad claiming wickets with the first two balls on the final day. That allowed New Zealand to beat England in a series for the first time since 1999, and Root's side are without an away win since the tour of Bangladesh in October 2016.
We gave it our best shot
But Root did not feel England could have done any more to beat the hosts, paying credit to New Zealand, too, as the teams traded blows after the one-sided nature of a first Test which was won by an innings and 49 runs.
"We threw absolutely everything at them," he said. "I'm very proud of the way we went about it. We had some great support as well. "Fair play to New Zealand; they played very well. We let ourselves down in the first innings of the first Test, but apart from that we played some good cricket. We need to take some of the good stuff from this week into the summer. We'd have loved a third Test - I think everyone would. Those five days were a great advert for Test cricket."
Next up, Pakistan
Another two-Test series is next for England, starting in May, as they head back to Lord's to face Pakistan.