‘Joe is cut from the same cloth as Ponting’
Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie thinks England batsman Joe Root is similar in many ways to former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting.
Root was the Three Lions' leading run-scorer in the recent Ashes series against Australia, which England won three-two, and reached number one in the ICC Test batting rankings before being pipped by Steve Smith after the final Ashes Test.
Gillespie, who is Root's coach at county side Yorkshire, says the 24 year-old's positive approach to his batting reminds him of Ponting, who averaged 51 in 168 Tests and is widely considered Australia's best batsman since Don Bradman.
Writing in his column for the Guardian, Gillespie said: "Joe Root epitomises this positive approach and is one of the reasons why I believe the future looks bright.
"And just to stress this point again, being positive and aggressive is not about trying to smash every ball to the boundary; you can still show this intent when leaving.
"Ricky Ponting was a player who did this. He would still make a pronounced movement when not offering a shot, meaning the ball went past on his terms.
"Leave with your feet stuck in cement and it betrays indecision, which the bowler will pick up on. Joe is cut from the same cloth as Ponting in that he makes good decisions and movements at the crease."
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