Root was never going to be successful leader, he is 'poor captain': Ian Chappell
Jan 30, 2022
Melbourne [Australia], January 30 : Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell has said that Joe Root is a poor captain and the Three Lions' Test leader quickly runs out of ideas.
Under Root, England stumbled to a 0-4 loss in the recently-concluded Men's Ashes. The Three Lions' skipper came under severe scrutiny for his decision making and poor selection calls.
"The captaincy failure, despite having led his country more times than any other captain, is Joe Root. It doesn't matter what Root or any other English devotee tells you, Root is a fine batter but a poor captain. He was never going to be a successful leader. Though England under him have a reasonably presentable record at home, Root has lacked imagination as a captain, quickly run out of ideas, and showed little "gut feel" for the game. Too often his choice of bowlers to begin a session caused head-scratching, but the real killer were his tactics: they often made no sense," Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNcricinfo.
"There is a distinct feeling that Root listened to far too many off-field advisers. A good captain has to take charge and this was an area where Root failed dismally. There's no doubt his last tour was badly hampered by player injuries and he was poorly treated by fate. Nevertheless, ten Tests for eight losses and two unflattering draws is a fair summation of Root's leadership in Australia. It was poor captaincy accompanied by bad luck," he added.
Chappell also talked about how pacer Stuart Broad would not be an ideal candidate to take on Test leadership of England.
"To suggest that the answer to the leadership void is Stuart Broad lacks understanding of cricket captaincy. Apart from Broad's advanced (cricket) age and articulate off-field responses, he's a negative influence - particularly with field placings - and would be a poor choice as captain," said Chappell.
"In press conferences Root kept saying, "We are going to learn from our mistakes and take the positives out of this match." This raised the question of precisely when they were going to learn. England kept making the same mistakes under Root and rarely learned. Although it will be a difficult task, if England want to improve, they first have to find a new and capable captain," he added.
England will next lock horns against West Indies in a three-match Test series in March.
