After facing another big defeat in the ongoing Ashes against Australia, England captain Joe Root expressed his disappointment with bowlers. England were thrashed by 275 runs in the second Test at Adelaide Oval on Monday, December 20.
In the post-match interview, Root stated that the bowlers were required to bowl at fuller lengths which they couldn’t do consistently, especially in the first innings.
“If we’re being brutally honest, we needed to bowl fuller.
“As soon as we did in that second innings, we created chances. We need to do that more; we need to be a bit braver, get the ball up there a bit further because when we do, we’re going to create chances and make life difficult.
“That’s one of the frustrating things because it’s something we did four years ago and got it wrong and we didn’t learn from it. We made the same mistakes last week (in Brisbane) – we just have to be better and we’ve got to learn those lessons very quickly.”
However, Root’s comments didn’t go well with fans and experts as several ex-cricketers slammed the English skipper for his remarks.
Australia legend Ricky Ponting also joined the bandwagon and slammed Root, saying that it’s the job of a captain to make the changes when things aren’t going well.
“I nearly fell off my seat when I heard that. Whose job is it then to make them change? Why are you captain then?” Ponting was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“If you can’t influence your bowlers on what length to bowl, what are you doing on the field?”
Ponting, who led Australia to their second 5–0 Ashes win in 2006-07, also said the onus is on Root to influence his bowlers.
“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. 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,” added Ponting.
After consecutive defeats, England are 2-0 down in the five-match series. The third Test, which will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), starts on December 26.
