“It’s got to be a mental thing”: Ricky Ponting advises Joe Root to look at Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to improve his conversion in Ashes 2021-22

Ashes 2021-22: Ricky Ponting advises Joe Root to look at Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to improve his conversion rate.

England’s struggle in the Ashes 2021-22 continues in the Adelaide test as well. After losing the Brisbane test, the side is on the verge of humiliation in Adelaide. Australia scored a mammoth score of 473 runs in the first innings, courtesy of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and David Warner. England managed to score just 236 runs with the bat, it is worth noting that Dawid Malan and Joe Root combined for more than 60% of the runs.

Joe Root scored yet another half-century, but he again gave away his wicket. Root has been brilliant this season, he has scored 1606 runs at 64.24, courtesy of six centuries. He has a really good conversion rate, but he has struggled to do it in Australia. In the last 20 innings in Australia, Root has scored eight fifties, but there are no centuries.

Ashes 2021-22: Ricky Ponting advises Joe Root to improve conversion rate in Australia

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has advised Root to look at Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Root is at the top spot in ICC test rankings, whereas Marnsus and Smith take the other two spots. Ponting believes that there is no technical error in Root’s batting, but it’s just a mental thing.

How is Cam Green troubling Joe Root?

Over to @copes9 to explain all #Ashes pic.twitter.com/9RD01H3jVg

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 18, 2021

“It’s got to be a mental thing,” Ponting said.

“There’s no technical error in his last two dismissals that has led to him getting out. It’s got to be him being not quite switched on enough for the ball he’s got out to.”

“Marnus and Smith are really good examples of how they can find a way to be so switched on for so long.”

“It is a concentration thing with Joe and captaincy probably doesn’t help either, (spending) long periods of time in the field when your team is not going so well. They haven’t gone so well of late with their Test results.”

Joe Root did talk with Ricky Ponting about his conversion issue during the BBL 2018-19 stint with Sydney Thunder. Root has been the best test batter across the globe this year.