The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ramprakash backs under-fire skipper to stay in England role
Joe Root’s future as England captain has come under scrutiny following a torturous Ashes campaign but former batter Mark Ramprakash has backed the Yorkshireman to carry on in the role.
An abject batting performance saw England skittled for 68 in Melbourne to lose the third Test – and with it their slim prospects of regaining the urn – by an innings and 14 runs as Australia guaranteed a series win inside 12 days.
The manner of their latest defeat was labelled “embarrassing” by former England fast bowler Steve Harmison, with Root among those in the firing line despite amassing 1,708 runs, with six hundreds, at an average of 61 this year.
None of his team-mates have reached 550 runs in 2021 and, while Ramprakash acknowledges Root may be lacking in tactical acumen, the former England batter hopes the 30-year-old stays in charge, provided he wants to, and is given help from those higher up the chain to shoulder the burden.
Ramprakash, who played 52 Tests between 1991 and 2002 and is a former England batting coach, told Sky Sports News: “Joe’s a great role model but the players around him have not been up to the mark and that’s why when you look at his position as captain, you have to feel sympathetic for him.
“I don’t think he’s necessarily tactically the best captain we’ve ever had and so he will have to take his share of responsibility in terms of strategy, selection and things like that.
“But equally I think Joe needs support from people above him. People have mentioned a reset for red-ball cricket?
“Absolutely, we need to have a good hard look at how we help Joe Root if he continues as captain.
“He’s got to weigh up the energy levels; he’s been in the job four to five years now and the job is very demanding. But if he has the drive and desire to carry on, then I would stick with him.”
The fallout is well under way after Australia moved into an unassailable 3-0 lead in what has been a one-sided series so far, one which Harmison feels could be a moment of reckoning for some in the England set-up.
Harmison, part of the side that unforgettably won the 2005 Ashes, told BT Sport: “There is going to be a big inquest. When you look at the history of the Ashes in Australia, the only teams that have gone over there and done anything meaningful are the teams that have got first-innings runs.
“Last night, they (Australia) bowled brilliantly but that’s embarrassing, I’m sorry. No fight, there was nothing there.
“This team are in a worse position than the one the white-ball team were in when they had a reset.”
While Australia were restricted to 267 at the MCG, the writing was on the wall for England when they slumped to 22 for four in the face of some relentless pressure from the opposition fast bowlers.