England batsman admits he has a problem turning fifties into centuries with 13 dismissals between 50 and 98
Joe keen to root out conversion problem
England batsman Joe Root has identified the need to be more assertive to convert his half-centuries to three-figure scores, starting with the third Test against Sri Lanka starting on Thursday at Lord's.
The 25-year-old has been dismissed 13 times between 50 and 98 since 2015, most recently caught on 80 against Sri Lanka in the second Test, which he described as a "car crash".
Root, ranked the No.2 batsman in the world by the ICC behind Australia's Steve Smith, said he should have doubled the nine Test centuries he had amassed in his career.
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"Probably double (number of centuries) if you look at the amount of fifties. You are always striving to get better. Over the last couple of months, it has been very frustrating," Root told British media.
"I am contributing quite consistently and I feel like I'm playing well, really well.
"But you don't win games with seventies and eighties and starts, so you want to make sure you cash in when you get those opportunities.
"There have been a few decent deliveries but, basically and mainly, it has been batsman error that needs to be addressed in practice."
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England head into the third Test against Sri Lanka with an unassailable 2-0 series lead, and Root says he is targeting a big score.
"This week, I'll just have to make sure, if the opportunity arises, that history doesn't repeat itself," he added.
"It's an annoyance I want to put right and make sure over the rest of the summer, if I get in and pass 50, I'm not throwing it away."