England has managed only one Test series win in 2021 under Joe Root's captaincy.
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum slammed England's Joe Root after a 9-wicket loss in the first Test of Ashes 2021-22 to Australia, saying that he never saw leadership qualities in the Yorkshire lad.
After England suffered a thumping defeat against Australia in the first Test of Ashes 2021-22, Joe Root has received a skewering for his captaincy. He first received a lot of flak for not playing the duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the first Test and then many criticized his decision to bat first in overcast conditions.
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The decision to bat first didn’t go well for England as they were bundled out for just 147 runs in the first innings, which put them on the back foot.
Speaking to SENZ Breakfast, Brendon McCullum lauded Joe Root as an outstanding cricketer but remarked that he hasn’t seen leadership quality in the England Test captain.
“I think Joe Root is a wonderful guy, an outstanding cricketer and they talk about him as a very good leader. I haven’t really seen it,” Brendon McCullum said.
Even though Joe Root (89) and Dawid Malan (82) led visitors’ fightback on Day 3 but they failed to counter the Australian bowlers on Day 4 and lost eight wickets for just 77 runs to set Australia a target of only 20 runs.
Taking about the same, McCullum pointed out that England had their opportunities but they were not strong and when the pressure came on they just went missing. He added that with seven losses in 2021, it has been a ‘dire Test match year for England’.
He pointed out that only one player has been scoring runs for them this year and that is Joe Root.
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“England had opportunities, they had their chances, but they just weren’t really strong enough. When the pressure came on and Australia started to flex, England just went missing. That’s their seventh Test loss in the calendar year which is just remarkable.
“Their worst ever has been eight and it’s been some time since that. The worst ever in the history of Test cricket is nine by Bangladesh. It’s been a pretty dire Test match year for England. There’s only really one player who is scoring any runs for them and that’s the skipper Joe Root," he said.
Notably, England has managed only one series win in 2021. They also lost against New Zealand at home and after that, they were pounded 2-1 by India in COVID-19 affected series in home conditions.
(IANS Inputs)