Hasn't been plain sailing, but we have good strides as Test team: Joe Root

England Test skipper Joe Root has said that the biggest challenge for his side would be to peak before the Ashes series against AustraliaEngland and Australia are slated to lock horns against each other in the Ashes later this year England would be squaring off against New Zealand and India in the longest format before the AshesWeve made good strides over the last couple of years as a Test team Its not been plain sailing weve not had it all our own way but we still improved I truly believe we are making good strides in the right direction and now weve got an opportunity to keep improving keep getting better and peak for Australia which is the pinnacle for us Root told Sky SportsRoot has also admitted that Englands newlook selection panel which is now led by the head coach Chris Silverwood will face a tricky balancing act to ensure the entire squad is fit ahead of the AshesIts very difficult at the minute the circumstances make it very tricky Youve got to factor in so many different things and the welfare of the players is obviously paramount But this is what you play for years like this one You want to pit yourself against the best you want to be successful against the best and this is the opportunity to do it said RootMore than anything it just means that that relationship between the two of us has to be as strong as ever We get on very well and weve got a good understanding of each other We know what we want and so hopefully that process becomes a little bit easier he addedWhen asked how challenging it would be to field new faces in the playing XI against New Zealand Root said Its always a tricky balance What youre trying to do is create that environment where youve got a strong squad of players that have been together for a good period of time but no one going in coldYou cant plan everything perfectly especially at the minute with Covid There might be natural opportunities where things arise there might not be but the most important thing is that we remain very openminded about how we want to move going forward Weve got some really important cricket coming up And weve got to prioritise that So when we sit down well factor in everything as best we can and make sure that weve got a real clear idea of how we want to go how we want the year to look and how were going to peak for that tour of Australia he addedThe first Test between England and New Zealand will begin on June 2 and the match will be played at Lords Cricket GroundThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever