Kerry O’Keeffe has stated that England captain Joe Root will struggle in Australia due to bouncier pitches. (Source: AP)
Former Test spinner Kerry O’Keeffe has stated that England captain Joe Root will struggle in Australia due to bouncier pitches and Australia can win the Ashes easily. Questioning the quality of the England top order batting, O’Keefe said, “(England have) got the ageing (Alastair) Cook at one, at number three is (Gary) Ballance, who we’ve always had no problem with at all.”
“Root at four is going to be a danger, but the bouncy wickets may bring him undone. He’s a very good slow pitch player – stays side on, keeps the bat face open. “(But) he’ll nick forever if it bounces.” he said on Triple M’s Dead Set Legends podcast.
“They’ve got ageing fast bowlers – I think we can win this series easily,” he said and added, “You win at home, you lose away, and we are very good at home. “On what I saw against South Africa, this is not (an England) side that can beat us.”
Earlier, former Australian fast bowler, Mitchell Johnson had also said, “It’s only one game, but it’s the way they got beaten,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “They’ve got a few issues coming to Australia. Australia are a huge chance. “(England) probably haven’t got that consistency at the moment; they’ve changed their team a little bit so they’re trying to find the right squad. “It’s getting close to an Ashes series so you want to try and lock that in, and it’s going to be hard for them now because they’ve just been beaten.”, he added.
