Former Australia captain and commentator Ricky Ponting said that England’s planning, thoughts, and structures have just been completely wrong, and it has come back to haunt them after the tourists lost the Ashes 2021–22 series to Australia on Tuesday (December 28).
He further criticized England for their poor planning and selection after they suffered an embarrassing defeat of an innings and 14 runs against Australia in the third Ashes Test on day three in Melbourne.
England had already lost the first two Tests by nine wickets and 275 runs at Brisbane and Adelaide, respectively, and now the Boxing Day Test defeat shattered their dreams of winning the Ashes in Australia, as the hosts successfully retained the urn with a 3-0 lead in the five-match Test series.
Notably, England omitted the experienced pace duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson from the first Ashes Test and then omitted the left-arm spinners Jack Leach and Mark Wood from the second. In the third Test, Broad was overlooked for Leach against Australia.
Ponting told Channel Seven: “They've out-thought themselves with their selections for Brisbane, looking forward to Adelaide and then looking forward to the MCG. Pick your best team from the start and then see how far that group can take you. The fact that Anderson and Broad didn't play in Brisbane is staggering.”
He further slammed England captain Joe Root's decision to bat first on a green pitch in overcast conditions in the first Test in Brisbane.
He further added, “The fact that Joe Root didn't bowl first in Brisbane was staggering. The fact that Mark Wood didn't play in Adelaide was staggering. He looked like one of the most likely bowlers up in Brisbane.”
Ponting signed off by saying, “All their planning, their thoughts, and their structures have just been completely wrong, and it's come back to bite them. There's no good looking forward from Brisbane if you're going to be one or two nil down. And that's what it was: they planned for Melbourne - already being two-nil down, they've come here and been pantsed again. So, they've got some really, really deep thinking to do.”
(With PTI Inputs)
