Ricky Ponting criticizes Joe Root’s comments about England’s bowlers, asking, “Why are you, captain?”

Ricky Ponting, a former Australia captain, has questioned Joe Root’s statements on England’s bowlers during the Ashes, saying that as captain of the touring squad, it is up to him to make adjustments when necessary. England, lost the second Test in Adelaide by 275 runs on Monday, trailing the five-match series 2-0 after a nine-wicket hammering in Brisbane.

Following the pink ball Test, Root stated that his bowlers needed to bowl fuller and “be a little braver. “Ponting told Cricket Australia’s website, “I nearly fell off my seat when I heard that,”

“What are you doing on the field if you can’t persuade your bowlers on what length to bowl?”

“Joe Root may say anything he wants, but as a captain, you have to be able to detect when your bowlers aren’t bowling where you want them to. That is the essence of captaincy. “

When Root exited the field due to a groin injury and the captaincy was briefly given over to Ben Stokes, Ponting believed that England’s bowling attack was at its best.
“The interesting thing for me is that the only time they bowled full in the game was when Joe Root wasn’t on the ground,” Ponting said. “The start of day four, when they had a meeting on the ground before play started, Stokes took over the captaincy, and that was the only time in the game they pitched the ball up.”

Ponting slams Root comments on England bowlers Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has questioned Joe Root's comments about England's bowlers during the Ashes and said that as captain of the touring side the onus is on him to make changes when needed. https://t.co/yUCBQD2Rki

— News from Bangladesh (@banglanews_eng) December 21, 2021