Ashes 2021 LIVE: Pressure has started to mount on captain Joe Root after England registered their second consecutive loss in ongoing Ashes. Former Australia and England captains Ricky Ponting & Nasser Hussain have criticised Root’s decision makings after the visitors slipped 0-2 in the series. While Nasser Hussain questioned the playing XI, Ricky Ponting felt that Root was not firm enough on his strategy and revealed his frustration at the team’s bowling performance in the first innings. Follow Ashes 2021 live updates on InsideSport.IN
Ashes 2021 LIVE: Ricky Ponting, Nasser Hussain join Ian Chappell to slam Joe Root’s captaincy after consecutive losses
“This Test had a very similar scorecard to Adelaide 2017. The decision-making off the field has been more indifferent this time. There was the toss in Brisbane and not picking Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad. Then going to Adelaide and selecting five medium-fast right armers with no variation and no spinner. And the batting is so vulnerable. It is in a bad place,” Nasser Hussain said as quoted by DailyMail.
“I don’t know about four years ago, but I can’t think of a lower point for English cricket’s Test batting. That’s the issue,” he added.
Ricky Ponting, in particular, was pissed at Root’s post-match comments where the latter spoke about the bowlers not hitting the ‘right lengths’, adding that the players keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
“Joe Root can come back and say whatever he likes but if you’re captain, you’ve got to be able to sense when your bowlers aren’t bowling where you want them to. And if they’re not going to listen, you take them off, simple as that,” Ponting said.s
“Give someone else a chance that is going to do it for you. Or you have a really strong conversation with them on the field to tell them what you need. That’s what captaincy is all about,” he added.
Ponting further added that Ben Stokes managed way better than Root during the latter’s absence in the opening session on Day 4.
“The interesting thing for me is the only time they bowled full in the game was when Joe Root wasn’t on the ground. Ben Stokes took over the captaincy, and that was the only time in the game they pitched the ball up,” he stated further.
Also Read: Shane Warne lauds Australia on Adelaide win, suggests 4 changes in England squad for Boxing Day Test
Ashes 2021 LIVE: Ricky Ponting, Nasser Hussain join Ian Chappell to slam Joe Root’s captaincy after consecutive losses
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