Saturday 23 December 2017 13:34, UK
Ricky Ponting has called on Joe Root to "step up big time" and stop looking "like a little boy" if England are to have any chance of claiming at least one victory from the two remaining Ashes Tests.
Former Australia captain Ponting feels Root is struggling to command the respect of his players, with the Ashes already lost after the home side took an unassailable 3-0 series lead following their innings and 41-run victory in Perth.
Ponting also took issue with Root and coach Trevor Bayliss' assertion that England have been Australia's equals, or even superiors, at stages of each Test before failing to maintain that level of performance.
"The way he answered a lot of the questions after the game last week...seemed almost like a little boy," Ponting said of Root ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
"You need to be more than that as a leader, especially when things aren't going well.
"Even if it is not natural to you, sometimes you have to put on a different face and stand up for what you think is right and what you believe in - not only inside the dressing room but outside it as well.
"Joe seems like he is under the sort of extreme pressure he has never felt before in his career, which is what you would expect in Ashes contests.
"The way he addressed things last week, it just seemed he was really quiet and too shy to really say too much. I think they need him to step up big time."
As for Root's belief England have at times given as good as they have got, Ponting said: "I am not seeing that at all.
"It doesn't add up with a team that has been ultra-competitive and just not taken the little opportunities.
"I think they have been completely blown away and blown off the park."
Root came into the Ashes as a credible batting rival for his opposite number Steve Smith, but has managed only 176 runs to the Australian captain's 426.
"Look at some of the shots he's played, it looks as though something is playing on his mind a little bit," added Ponting.
"They are not the shots you would expect from one of the best players in the world, and certainly not someone trying to lead from the front."
