Why Are You Captain? : Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting lashes out hard at England captain Joe Root for criticising England bowlers after Adelaide’s defeat.

Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has hammered England captain Joe Root for not setting the record plainly to his bowlers during the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval. The English bowlers bowled a short pitch line that accomplished anything in favour off the guest side.

“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?,” Ponting cited on Cricket Australia website.

Ponting’s remarks came after Root had voiced the bowlers didn’t bowl in the right areas.

“I don’t think we bowled the right lengths. If we’re being brutally honest, we needed to bowl fuller,” Root had said.

Ponting further criticised Root, stating that the ending was not firm enough in terms of technique with his senior 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,” said Ponting.

“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. That’s what captaincy is all about.” 

“The interesting thing for me is the only time they bowled full in the game was when Joe Root wasn’t on the ground. At the start of day four when they had a meeting on the ground before play started, Ben Stokes took over the captaincy, and that was the only time in the game they pitched the ball up,” Ponting finished.

After two consecutive defeats England are trailing behind with 2-0 in the five-match series. The third Ashes Test, which will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, starts from December 26-30.