New Delhi | Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has blasted current England captain Joe Root as his side was dismantled in the second Ashes Test. Root’s England were capitulated to a 275-run loss in the Adelaide Test as they now trail the Aussies 0-2. Ponting questioned the leadership quality of the 30-year-old and believes that the England captain lacked the motivation to make the necessary changes when required.
"Whose job is it then to make them change? Why are you captain then? If you can't influence your bowlers on what length to bowl, what are you doing on the field?” the 47-year-old Ponting told cricket.com.au.
“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," Ponting added.
Root did address the loss after the match as he said in a post-match interview,
“I don't think we bowled the right lengths. If we're being brutally honest, we needed to bowl fuller,” Root said.
England now have their work cut out as they face an uphill task to win the Ashes. Root’s England will now have to come to win the remainder of the three-Test matches to win the Ashes for the first time in six and a half years. England last won the Ashes in 2015 and have since lost 0-4 in 2018, drawn 2-2 in 2019. Australia, on the other hand, will once again fancy their chances going into the third Test as they now need just a draw to reclaim the Urn.
England will head into the Boxing Day (December 26) Test knowing anything less than a win will polarise a string of criticism towards them. The only encouragement that comes for them would be the fact that the Aussies lost their last Boxing Day Test against India last year. Pat Cummins will make his comeback into the squad while Cricket Australia (CA) has named the same squad for the rest of the Ashes.
