Cricket legend Ian Chappell has taken a stunning swipe at English Test captain Joe Root.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Outside The Rope, Chappell took a blowtorch to Root’s governance saying he is not “very good”.
The comments are sure to add fire to cricket’s oldest rivalry, the latest chapter of which begins at the Gabba on Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about his captaincy, I don’t think that’s very good. He’s got an imagination problem that is important in Australia,” Chappell said of Root.
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“His best chance with captaincy is if he takes quite a bit of advice from (Ben) Stokes, and Stokes establishes himself as a very aggressive player.”
Chappell also suggested Root comes in to bat at No.3 for this tour, given the weakness in England’s batting lineup.
“The question I would ask Joe is why don’t you bat at three?” he said.
“I’ve always believed that you are better off coming in at one for not very many than two for not very many, and no-one has really proved that they can bat at three.
“Joe has got all the credentials to bat at three, there’s never going to be a better time for him to bat at No.3 because he’s in terrific form, but he just won’t seem to bat at No.3.
“He might get lucky in Australia, and No.3 it could be (Dawid) Malan, and Malan I think’s a reasonably decent player. If Malan has a good series at three and keeps Joe away from the bowling for a while then it’s got a chance at working.
“But, I wouldn’t be trusting to luck, I’d be saying if I was Joe, ‘I’m batting at three'”.
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