Ricky Ponting: “The way he addressed things last week, it just seemed he was really quiet and too shy to really say too much”
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Ricky Ponting has called on England captain Joe Root to exude more authority and stop looking “like a little boy”.
The former Australia captain’s comments come after England lost the Ashes with two Tests to spare.
Ponting also hit back at Root and England head coach Trevor Bayliss’ remarks that England have been on the same level as Australia, and have sometimes even outperformed them.
However, both Root and Bayliss admitted that England’s inability to maintain some form of consistency is the reason why they find themselves 3-0 down.
“The way he answered a lot of the questions after the game last week…seemed almost like a little boy,” Ponting was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “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.
“Joe seems like he is under the sort of extreme pressure he has never felt before in his career, which is what you would expect in Ashes contests. The way he addressed things last week, it just seemed he was really quiet and too shy to really say too much. I think they need him to step up big time.”
Responding to Root’s comments that England have played as well as Australia, Ponting said: “I am not seeing that at all. It doesn’t add up with a team that has been ultra-competitive and just not taken the little opportunities.
“I think they have been completely blown away and blown off the park.”
In regards to the battle between Root and Smith, the England captain has failed to live up to expectations as he has been limited to 176 runs at an average of 29.33. Smith, on the other hand, is the highest run-scorer in the series with 426 runs, which includes a career-best score of 239, at an average of 142.
“Look at some of the shots he’s played, it looks as though something is playing on his mind a little bit,” Ponting said about Root. “They are not the shots you would expect from one of the best players in the world, and certainly not someone trying to lead from the front.”