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England must “stay calm” despite being trounced by New Zealand in their World Cup opener, says batter Joe Root.
The defending champions posted 282-9 in Ahmedabad, only for the Black Caps to chase it down inside 37 overs with nine wickets in hand.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a World Cup-winning side that hasn’t had a bump in the road or a stumble along the way,” Root told BBC Sport.
“We’ve just got to stay level and authentic to what we are as a team.”
Root top-scored with 77 as all 11 England batters reached double figures – the first time such a feat has occurred in a one-day international.
But a number of soft dismissals hampered England’s progress and their total felt no better than par. Jonny Bairstow half-hit a lofted drive to long-off to be out for 33, captain Jos Buttler poked behind when on 43 and Liam Livingstone chipped to long-on for 20.
In between, both Root and Moeen Ali were bowled trying to attack the part-time off-spin of Glenn Phillips.
“It’s always easy to look at…
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