Ashes 2017: England captain Joe Root says he doesn’t ‘go about things as a little boy’

ENGLAND captain Joe Root has smashed suggestions he is a soft captain and declared his team is not spent as an Ashes force despite having already surrendered the urn.

England's captain Joe Root bats at the MCG nets on Monday.

ENGLAND captain Joe Root has smashed suggestions he is a soft captain and declared his team is not spent as an Ashes force despite having already surrendered the urn.

The visitors refused to bow to calls for change after three unsuccessful Tests bringing in only bowler Tom Curran to make his Test debut as a replacement for injured quick Craig Overton.

But it wasn’t a result of being soft on his the underperforming players and Root bristled when reminded former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting had said the English captain looked like a “little boy” after the third Test loss in Perth.

Ponting believed Root lacked the hard edge to rescue his team from the position they find themselves in but the English captain said he had, and would, make the tough calls when needed.

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“He’s entitled to his opinion but he doesn’t spent any time in our dressing room, and doesn’t spend much time around the squad, so I am obviously going to disagree with that,” Root said of Ponting’s criticisms.

England's captain Joe Root bats at the MCG nets on Monday.

“I’m sure if you asked of the guys in the camp … they would back me up on that as well.

“I don’t think I go about things as a little boy. I have my own way of doing things. I think it’s important to not try and be something you are not.

“But I know that there are occasions where you might have to be quite strong in front of the group, the whole group. I might not appear to do that out on the field but there are certainly times where I know I can do that, and I have done that.”

One such tough call was bringing in Curran on what Root called “gut feel” as well as backing out of sorts veterans Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali.

Root acknowledged the underperformance of several of his key players had contributed to their series loss, but said the big stage of Boxing Day should ensure it didn’t become a complete surrender.

“There are other guys that are looking for form, and ready to turn things around, and they have an opportunity to do that this week. It’s an Ashes Test match, there is so much to play for and that’s how they will approach it,” Root said after his Christmas Day training session.

“It is a big test of character, but I think that is one of our strengths. In terms of the first three games, I don’t think it’s that which has let us down. I think we have been out skilled, and not quite good enough when it really mattered. That’s our big challenge this week.”

So is getting out Aussie captain Steve Smith, who has been unstoppable through the series so far, and averages 127 at the MCG.

More than 500 members of England’s Barmy Army supporter group celebrated Christmas Day at Melbourne’s Crown Casino.

“We’ve discussed a few different things we can try. We have tried a few things this series anyway,” Root said.

“He has had two very good Test matches and we definitely got on top of him in Adelaide and showed how when we can get the ball moving we can be a very dangerous attack.

“The attitude of the guys has been very good … they are full aware of all the stuff that is still on the table for us to get from this trip.

“There is plenty to play for.”