"If the Ashes tour continues to go badly, it is hard to see how Joe Root will remain captain" - Michael Atherton
Former England captain Michael Atherton feels Joe Root might be nearing the end of his tenure as Test captain. Atherton claimed Joe Root will not retain his captaincy if the prevailing Ashes tour continues to go from bad to worse for England.
England find themselves on the brink of another deflating Ashes tour after going down in the second Test by 275 runs. After losing the first Test at the Gabba by eight wickets, the tourists' batting unit collapsed in a heap again in Adelaide. Hence, they now need a remarkable turnaround to regain the urn.
A brave fight on the final day but Australia win the second Test to take a 2-0 series lead.
Scorecard: ms.spr.ly/6017Zumm9
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Speaking to The Times, Michael Atherton sees no way back for Joe Root if he fails to get England to win back the Ashes. The 53-year old was notably concerned about the lack of alternatives to succeed Root and stated:
"If the tour continues to go this badly, it is hard to see how Root will remain as captain. Ashes tours have often done for England captains and Root is nearer the end of his cycle than the beginning. There is not a rash of alternatives, but the notion that there is no one to take over is the worst rationale for keeping the job."
Atherton also blamed coach Chris Silverwood for doing a poor job as the coach and main selector, lamenting the selection decisions since the start of 2021. He continued:
"As the head coach and main selector, he has to shoulder along with Joe Root. There have been a rash of poor decisions so far - selection, mainly - for which he now has the final call. For the past 12 months, lots of selections have been suspect; the move to invest responsibility for selection with the head coach was always a bad one."
As far as the Boxing Day Test goes, Atherton stated that more focus has to be on solving England's batting problems, but prefers the incumbents.
"Bring in Mark Wood and Jack Leach, leave out Chris Woakes and whichever one of the other three seamers conditions and/or state of fitness demand. The batting needs urgent attention more generally, but given that no one else has played any cricket, I would give the same batsmen another chance."
As pinpointed by several experts, England's selections have been baffling, starting from the first Test. They rested James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the Gabba Test, where they could have been effective. In contrast, England went with an all-seam attack on a spinning wicket in Adelaide.
"Pitches are poor, standards of first-class cricket is poor" - Michael Atherton
Atherton went on to have a go at the ECB for prioritizing white-ball domestic cricket over first-class cricket. The 53-year old feels it is one of the reasons why England are failing to produce seasoned Test players.
"The County Championship has been hollowed out by the decision to play the T20 Blast and the Hundred in the main summer months, thus relegating the championship to the margins of the season. Pitches are poor, the standard of first-class cricket is poor."
England's defeat in Adelaide extended their losing streak in Tests Down Under to 11. Their last win was back in 2011 in Sydney.