England batsman Joe Root has conceded that his teammates are "quite down" about their performance towards the end of day three of their Test match against New Zealand at Lord's.

Root was one of four batsmen to lose their wickets in the closing stages as England went from 159-2 to 180-6 at the close of play earlier today.

"It's quite a slow pitch - you've got really work hard to start with. You look to play on instinct and I was lucky to get a few balls in my scoring areas and I tried to make the most of it," he told Sky Sports News.

"I was very disappointed not to kick on and, after giving them a sniff tonight, we're quite down about it. Hopefully we can have a good morning and build a platform to win the game."

Root made 72 before he was bowled out by Tim Southee.