Former Australia fast bowler Rodney Hogg has issued a damning assessment of Joe Root’s game, brutally claiming the former England captain will be a ‘total failure’ during the upcoming Ashes series.
Aussie newspaper The West Australian ignited the Ashes war of words earlier this week by branding the Yorkshireman, who is the second-highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket, ‘Average Joe’.
The outlet took stock of Root’s underwhelming stats in Australia, stating the 34-year-old was ‘a hero in the homeland and a pretender in Australia’ while also branding him a ‘dud Root’.
Root has averaged 35 runs from 14 Tests in Australia and is yet to score a century during an away Ashes series.
Now, former Aussie fast bowler, Hogg, who took 123 wickets across 38 Tests, has joined the West Australian in launching a brutal attack on the former England skipper.
‘Joe Root will be a total failure in this series,’ Hogg said to Channel 10 Sport.
Ex-Aussie fast bowler Rodney Hogg has claimed that Joe Root (pictured) will be a ‘total FAILURE’ during this summer’s Ashes series
Former Aussie cricketer Rodney Hogg (pictured) claimed that Root’s technique will be an issue Down Under
‘His technique does not work in Australia.
‘In Australia he averages 35 [runs],’ the Australian, who took 56 wickets across 11 Tests against England, explained.
‘He plays the ball under his nose and likes to glide the ball down between third slip and gully.
‘You can’t do that in Australia – you knick those. So his technique does not work in Australia.
‘Joe Root will be their weakness.’
During his career, Root has averaged 40 runs against Australia both at home and Down Under, and has scored four centuries against the old enemy at Lord’s, Edgbaston, Sophia Gardens and Trent Bridge.
‘I am sure there is going to be a lot of talk around [me not scoring a hundred as of yet] but I feel ready for it. Big series are the ones you want to play in and contribute in,’ Root said to Sky Sports.
Root believes things will be different this time around in Australia, with the Englishman coming into this series off the back of a fine summer against India, where he sandwiched a sensational 150 between two tons at Lord’s and The Oval.
Aussie newspaper The West Australian ignited the Ashes war of words earlier this week by branding the Yorkshireman, who is the second-highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket, ‘Average Joe’
Root has averaged 35 runs from 14 Tests in Australia and is yet to score a century during an Away Ashes series.
Hogg (front, centre), played 38 Tests for Australia, taking 56 wickets across 11 matches against England, both home and away
‘I feel I am in a different place to when I last went out there. I haven’t got the responsibility of captaincy and I am a lot more experienced,’ he added.
‘I have had a good couple of years coming in and I have learned good lessons from my previous tours there as a batter and senior player.
Root believes he is a changed man, too, with the Englishman having revealed in October how he’s tweaked his game to focus more on the strategy, rather than his own technique.
‘How I prepare now is different to how I would have done 10 years ago. I’m a lot more mentally focused. I’ve clearly played against a lot of their guys now, know how they operate, know what they’re likely to try to bring to the series,’ Root said.
‘I used to be very technical. I’d want to make sure that everything felt lined up and my feet were in the right place, my head position was correct, whereas now I’m a little bit more concerned about how I’m looking at the game, how I’m going to approach different situations, whether that be the surface, whether that be different bowler types, different angles, when they come wide of the crease.’