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Joe Root in action. (FILE photo)
While former England captain Joe Root sits at the second spot in the list of highest run-getters in Test cricket with a tally of 13,543 runs only behind Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 runs, the 34-year-old has not scored a Test hundred in Australia. In the 14 Tests Root has played in Australia, the English cricketer has scored 892 runs at an average of 35.68 with nine fifties and a highest score of 89. Former Australian captain Ricky Pointing believes Root is better equipped at present as a player than ever and would hope to get over the mental hurdle to get a Test hundred in Australia.
“I think (Joe Root) he’s better equipped now as a player than ever. Other times he’s come here to Australia, he’s had one or two little technical issues that on the extra bouncy wickets, the Australian fast bowlers have been able to exploit. And I have watched the way that he’s played over the last 12 or 18 months, it looks like he’s worked really hard on taking those motive dismissals out of play. But you also know that little man that sits on your shoulder, he keeps telling you, you haven’t done well here in the past and you haven’t got 100 here. That’s what it’s a mental thing for him this series more than anything else. His game is magnificent at the moment. He’s got to get over that over that little mental hurdle and get 100. And I actually think he will get that 100 this time around,” Ponting told The ICC review podcast.
The last time England won the Ashes was in 2015, when the Alastair Cook led England team won the series 3-2 in England. Post that, England have lost the Ashes 4-0 in Australia in 2017-2018 followed by the 2-2 draw in England in 2019 In 2021-22, England lost once again 4-0 in the Ashes in Australia followed by the 2-2 draw in the 2023 Ashes in England. Weeks earlier, former Australian opener David Warned had spoken about how England will be playing for a moral victory against Australia in this year’s Ashes followed by former England pacer Stuart Broad terming the current Australian side as the words Australian side he has seen in years. With Australian team management still struggling with some spots including the opener’s slot, Ponting shared how he can pick England’s team for the first Test in Perth but cannot pick his Australia team for the opening Test. “I’m surprised it’s taken so long for Warner and Broad to have a crack back at each other. It normally happens a couple of months out before the first Ashes Test and this one’s only a couple of weeks out Everyone will try and tell you that you know, it’s just another game of cricket. Well ashes cricket It’s just not just another game. It’s different. It goes to a different level. There’s more media speculation, there’s more spotlight. We’re talking more, I don’t know how much we’ve talked ever about a selection of what is what we’ve got coming up with the Australian team. For the last couple of months, selection for the Ashes has been spoken about. And unusually this time around as well, I’m pretty sure that I can pick England’s team for the first Test right now, where you can’t actually pick Australia’s,” Ponting added.
The former Australian captain also spoke about his views about the opener’s slot along with Usman Khawaja, a certain as one of the openers. “We know Sam Konstas has been the incumbent as he played the last series in the West Indies, but he’s one that probably hasn’t capitalised as much as he would have liked in those first two (domestic) games. These players have still got probably four innings to go before that Test team has to get picked and we’ll have a bit of a clearer picture then. Marnus Labuschagne is the obvious one. Marnus, at his absolute best, is in Australia’s best team every day of the week. But he hasn’t been able to find his best form over the last couple of years. And it looks like now back at state level, he’s starting to find it again. It is certainly starting to look that way and he is a lot more confident in scoring. I think he’s made four centuries in his last six innings, so he’s going well, even though there is still a long, long way out,” added Ponting.
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