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Former Australian cricketer Rodney Hogg has predicted that England's premier batter Joe Root will be a "total failure" during the Ashes Down Under, stating that his technique "does not work in Australia".
The Ashes in Australia will be a series crucial in determining Root's legacy as a Test batter. While he is already the second-highest run-getter in Test history, his performances in Australia have been sub-par, having never registered a century on fast and bouncy surfaces of Australia. Conquering the Aussie territory with a brilliant series with the bat and winning the series for England would do wonders to Root's status as one of the finest Test players ever. "Joe Root will be a total failure in this series. His technique does not work in Australia. He's got 39 test matches (hundreds), he averages 51. In Australia, he averages 35. He plays the ball under his nose. He loves to glide it down between the third slip and gully. You cannot do that in Australia, you nick those. So his technique does not work in Australia. Joe Root will be their weakness," Rodney told 10 Sport, according to Wisden. Rodney played 38 Tests for Australia from 1978 to 1984. In Australia, Root is not only winless in 14 Tests against the Aussies, but he has also not scored as he would have liked, having made nine half-centuries at an average of 35.68, scoring 892 runs in 14 matches and 27 innings. With his best score being 89 and having three scores of 80s, the veteran has been unlucky to miss out on the milestone in some of the toughest conditions to bat in. During the last tour to Australia during 2021-22, when England were thrashed 4-0, Root top-scored for the side with 322 runs in five matches and 10 innings at an average of 32.20, with three fifties. He was the third-highest run-getter overall. The Ashes series in Australia will be crucial for England. For the visitors, this will be their chance to win the first away Ashes series since 2011 and their first overall since 2015. (ANI)
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