Ricky Ponting's vicious swipe at England captain Joe Root over one comment
Cricket legend Ricky Ponting has taken an almighty swipe at England captain Joe Root for comments made after the second Ashes Test.
England went 2-0 down in the Ashes series, now suffering two big losses to Australia with still three games to play.
Following the defeat at Adelaide Oval, Root turned the heat on his bowlers for pitching the ball too short in Australia's first innings.
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England made the same mistake four years earlier.
"I don't think we bowled the right lengths," Root said.
Joe Root and Ricky Ponting. Getty
"If we're being brutally honest, we needed to bowl fuller. As soon as we did in that second innings, we created chances. We need to do that more, we need to be a bit braver, get the ball up there a bit further because when we do, we're going to create chances and make life difficult."
Ponting - one of the most successful Test captains in cricket's history - was dumfounded by the Root comments.
He told cricket.com.au it was the skipper's responsibility to adjust the bowling during the game, not complain about it afterwards.
"I nearly fell off my seat when I heard that," Ponting said.
"Whose job is it then to make them change? Why are you captain then?
"If you can't influence your bowlers on what length to bowl, what are you doing on the field?
"Joe Root can come back and say whatever he likes but if you're captain, you've got to be able to sense when your bowlers aren't bowling where you want them to.
"And if they're not going to listen, you take them off, simple as that.
"Give someone else a chance that is going to do it for you. Or you have a really strong conversation with them on the field to tell them what you need.
"That's what captaincy is all about. If they had that (conversation) maybe the result could have been different."
The Ashes continues on Boxing Day with the third Test being played at the MCG.
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