Joe Root came in defence of match officials and ground staff as they faced criticism after only 134.3 overs of play was possible through the course of five days of the drawn second Test against Pakistan in Southampton due to heavy rains and bad light. 

However, the England captain did admit he feels the need for International Cricket Council (ICC) to revisit the existing protocols in place for periods of bad light in the Test match game and come up with solutions to get more play in. 

Read Also: ICC Cricket Committee to discuss bad light issue in the next meeting, says report 

"We found ourselves in a very strange position this week with bad light playing a major factor," Root told reporters after the match. "I don't think I have ever seen a game be affected by bad light as much as this. Which is very frustrating. But also the weather as well, it's been very wet throughout the week."

"The ground staff have done everything they can to get it dry and thankfully we got some cricket today. I do think it's hard to blame the umpires here. I think there is something bigger that needs looking at, higher up the chain."

"I'm not sure exactly what the answers are, to be honest. I don't want to comment too much on it. Maybe there has to be a minimum standard of floodlights and play on throughout with a slightly redder ball, a lighter red ball, rather than a dark Dukes ball."

Currently, the on-field umpires decide to take the players off the field when the conditions are "dangerous or unreasonable" as per the earlier recorded light metre reading. 

"I just think that there are different things that might be able to be looked at and trialled to see if there are other ways we could potentially do things in this country, in particular, to avoid similar scenarios in the future," Root said.  

"I do think this week have been very unique. It's not very often you lose so much time to bad light in a five day game. It is frustrating and it's obviously been a huge talking point. I do think it needs to be addressed somewhere, somehow."

"But until those things change from the ICC, the umpires have got to follow the rules in front of them. As players, we just have to do what we are told and I think both teams did that to the best of their ability."

As it happened even during this Test match, players' safety is cited as the major factor in umpires' decision whenever the argument of conditions perhaps being reasonably fine for play is made. 

"There's an element of danger that comes into it," Root acknowledged. "Sometimes with the bat in hand, if I'm brutally honest, it becomes more challenging. Sometimes when you are facing someone really quick it can feel a little bit more dangerous."

"It can also be quite hard to also, even if it is trying to pick which way he's looking to swing it or you might be trying to spot a googly from a leg-spinner. It's not as easy to pick out of the hand. That can be frustrating at times."

"More in the field, square of the wicket is where you do feel most vulnerable. You don't want to be at fault, running in the wrong direction, missing a big chance, one of their best players. If you get an opportunity and you miss it because you can't see the ball, you feel a bit hard done by at times."

"Similarly the umpires might feel in danger as well if someone crunches a pull shot or hits one straight back at them. They have also got to be able to see and make the right decisions on the field," he added. 

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)