Root and Silverwood must take their share of blame for blunders

JOE ROOT is on his third Ashes tour, and this is the first the urn will still be up for grabs when he tucks into his Christmas Day turkey.

- Will Macpherson

The way things are going, it is hard to escape the conclusion that this is only the case because of the shape of the schedule, with three, not two, Tests after Christmas, rather than any improvement in England’s performance.

Early in another series that suddenly looks very long, England seem as stuffed as Root’s turkey. And while their preparation was hampered by Covid and rain, what will hurt most is that so many of their problems have been home-made.

Root and Chris Silverwood, the softly-spoken, submissive man taking on epic dual task of head coach and selection supremo, are under pressure for their jobs at one of the game’s great occasions, an Ashes Test on Boxing Day, here at the colossal MCG.

Root has been a maligned captain, and there are obvious shortcomings. He is respected by his team, is a good ambassador for the sport and has never shirked responsibility, whether with the bat or in decision-making. His captaincy should, based on history, be coming to a natural end. A second crack at an away Ashes series has not been afforded to a captain for a century, and in Melbourne (where he turns 31 on day five) he will draw level with his predecessor, Sir Alastair Cook, on 59 Tests, the most for an England skipper. Four to five years has been the shelf life in the modern era.