Ashes 2021-22: Steve Smith advices Joe Root to trust himself after facing flak for captaincy

England are 0-2 down in the five-match Test series in Australia.

Joe Root | Getty

Following Australia’s win in the second Test of Ashes 2021-22 in Adelaide, stand-in skipper Steve Smith shared some words of advice for English skipper Joe Root. England suffered a massive 275-run loss to go 2-0 down in the five-match Test series. 

Jhye Richardson stood tall for the hosts and took a five-wicket haul in the second innings that helped Australia bundle out the visitors for just 196 runs in a chase of 468, winning by a huge margin. 

After England’s defeat skipper Joe Root has received a lot of flak for his tactics and decision-making. Although there’s no denying the fact that he has carried his team’s batting in Tests this year but his captaincy has been under the scanner. 

Many fans and pundits lashed out at Joe Root, saying that they haven’t seen any leadership quality in the England skipper. 

Speaking to cricket.com.au, Australian stand-in skipper Steve Smith admitted that there will always be criticism on the captain's performance. He shared some words of advice for Joe Root, saying that the right-hander should trust himself and do everything he can to help his team grow and be successful. 

Read Also: "There's no contest at all"- Aakash Chopra slams England after 275-run defeat in D/N Test

"There's always going to be critics out there that critique your performance as a captain. I guess for him (Root), the best advice I could give is just trust yourself, and do everything you can to help your team grow and be as successful as you can be," Steve Smith said. 

Steve Smith admitted that a captain can sometimes get outplayed by the opposition and there’s nothing he can do about it. He stressed that as a skipper a player should look at what he can do better. 

"Sometimes as a captain, you get outplayed by the opposition and there's not a great deal you can do. But just reflecting or seeing what you can do better is always important, that's part of being a player or a leader," he said. 

Skipper Pat Cummins will join the team for the third Test of Ashes 2021-22 after missing the second Test. The Boxing Day Test match between the teams will be played on 26th December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

(ANI inputs) 

 
 

By Ankitjit Singh - 21 Dec, 2021

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