Joe Root has been more like a 'little boy' than a leader, says former Aussie captain

The biggest rivalry in Test cricket is considered to be ‘The Ashes’. This season’s Ashes was surrounded by many off-field controversies that may not have been good for the game. The Ben Stokes incident had put a huge dent in England’s hopes of winning the series. However, it was not expected to be a one sided affair as it turned out to be. The English players failed to put up a fight and lost the five match series inside first three games itself.

Ricky Ponting, former Australia captain has advised Joe Root to stop acting like a “little boy” and to toughen up and admit that his team has been outplayed by the mighty Australians. Popularly known as “Putner”, Ponting was known for being straightforward and admitting his teams’ shortfalls whenever he felt that they needed to step up. He believes that Root needs to move and must not worry about upsetting his players and accept the hard fact that they are 3-0 down in the series.

Root is still in his early days of his captaincy stint with England. His batting skills have been appreciated by most of the cricket pundits all over the world. Ponting himself is a fan of Root’s batting but believes that he needs to change his attitude and be ruthless. A more aggressive approach is needed on the field to soak in the pressure and improve ones individual performance.

Punter’s advice

It seems that the pressure of performance at big stage has got to root. “The way he answered a lot of the questions after the game last week, and almost the Brisbane game as well, he seemed almost like a little boy. You need to be more than that as a leader, especially when things aren’t going well. Even if it is not natural to you, sometimes you have to put on a different face and stand up for what you think is right and what you believe in. Not only inside the dressing room but outside it as well. For me, it just looks like it has been a little bit soft, if anything.” Ponting was quoted as saying by The Dominion Post. Root has lost his wicket to poor shots and experts feel that he needs to change his approach big time to avoid a whitewash.

Ponting also felt that players need to show respect to their captain. Too much has been happening off the field and the team environment is becoming too comfortable. Root’s reluctance to criticize his players has raised questions over Trevor Bayliss’ position. The management keeps talking about how competitive they were and what didn’t go their way. Top players like Cook and Broad have failed to make any sort of impact on the series leading to England’s downfall.

Punter not sure about the improvements in England side

“When you consider they have won all three tosses, lost by 10 wickets in Brisbane, everything that could have gone their way in Adelaide went their way and they lost by 120-odd runs and then an innings and 40 runs in the next Test. They have been completely blown away and blown off the park. Unless you can find some drastic ways to get better, I’m not sure how they are going to improve.” Ponting added.

The team cannot make any excuses and need to move on and to avoid a Whitewash. Root needs to forget all the other events and focus on his batting. The shots that he has been playing off late is not what he has been playing over the years that made him a top batsman in the world.

The best players in the world do not allow pressure to get to them. They always have a trick up their sleeve. Root needs to address the issues with his players and get back to what he does best to avoid a one way traffic at The Ashes. At the moment, the mighty Aussies are all over the Englishmen.