Joe Root-led England came back strongly in the Third Test after being completely outplayed in the second Test. (Source: Reuters)
England captain, Joe Root has been criticised for being too conservative during the third Test at Oval. This was after he declared against South Africa, but took ample amount of time to do so. This drew a lot of criticism from various sections, especially commentator Shane Warne.
During the commentary, Root said, “I think Root has missed a trick here. They’re 442 runs ahead and he’s missed the opportunity to have two cracks at South Africa. He obviously wants more runs, it’s a little conservative. It’s not backing up what England are saying with Root, saying we are going to play positive, aggressive cricket,” he said.
Stating that Root has been inconsistent during his stint, Warne said, “We’ve heard him say ‘we want to play attacking cricket. Some people at Trent Bridge said they went too hard, too attacking, but as captain, you want to try when you first start to say ‘This is how we want to play’. But it’s not backing up what England are saying with Joe Root, saying we are going to play positive, aggressive cricket. This is a bit conservative.”
This is not the first that the English captain and his side have faced flak for their attitude. After the defeat in Trent Bridge, questions were raised on the desire and ability. This saw all-rounder Ben Stokes come and out and state that questioning the desire of the English players was unfair.
In an interview with ESPNcricinfo, Stokes had said, “The whole fight and desire and everything like that that’s been thrown at us I think is very, very unfair. It’s almost like people are saying that we don’t have the desire or the fight to play for England but everyone who takes part in the game – not just the 11 but everyone in the squad, coaches – the desire, the commitment, the fight to represent your country and do well is always there. So I think that kind of criticism is harsh, yes.”
