But pushed on whether he should return as captain, Root said: “I don’t think it’s fair for me to make those kind of decisions and answer those kind of questions. They are decisions for people that are in a slightly different job to me.”
Root argued the perception that England have a “drinking culture” is unfair, but accepted players had “let themselves down”. Root was one of the players who returned home before the midnight curfew after the first Test, with Stokes and Atkinson staying later.
“I’m not someone that can make those kind of calls but from a personal point of view, it has been disappointing,” he said. “There has been a few occasions as a team we’ve let ourselves down, and we’ve let each other down. And we have to learn from those mistakes and make sure that we understand that we shouldn’t be putting ourselves in those situations.
“I also don’t think it’s a fair reflection of our dressing room. It’s an incredibly professional dressing room that works extremely hard, that turns up and puts everything into each and every training day.”
Root admitted that he had been “slightly envious” of the opportunity to work with McCullum as a captain.
“I am in a very different place to when I finished. It is going to be a really fun week. I am looking forward to getting out on the field and for us to get playing again.
“I have really enjoyed the last couple of days working with Baz [McCullum] in a slighty different space. That is one thing, in a small way, in a good way I was slightly envious of that opportunity to work with someone like Baz in this sort of capacity.”
An England spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that Stokes and Atkinson were free to play county cricket while out of the England side. Both men are expected to play for their counties, Durham and Surrey respectively, from Friday, which is day three of the Test.
Rew, meanwhile, has waited patiently for his turn, having scored 12 Championship hundreds at the age of 22 and racked up runs for Somerset. Smith, who had a poor Ashes, will receive pressure for his spot from both Rew and Cox, who is also a wicketkeeper.
The New Zealand opener Devon Conway popped home between Tests for the birth of his child. They are likely to make one change, with Henry Nicholls in for the retired Kane Williamson.