"Ben Stokes has looked ultra-defensive" - Ricky Ponting on England all-rounder's poor form

Ricky Ponting believes Ben Stokes must adopt a more aggressive approach while batting in order to succeed against a formidable Aussie bowling attack. The former Australian captain wants the star all-rounder to stop being "ultra-defensive" in the ongoing Ashes 2021.

In his conversation with cricket.com.au, Ponting mentioned how the southpaw has not looked like the aggressive player he is known to be. Ponting said the bowling-friendly conditions in Australia is a reason for Stokes' struggles.

He noted that Australian bowlers have not allowed the dynamic batter to break out of his shackles in this series. Ponting suggested that the hosts will continue to dominate if Stokes didn't put any counter-pressure on them.

He said:

"He's looked ultra-defensive. He hasn't looked like the big, physically aggressive presence at the crease that opposition teams have feared to bowl to in other series. You can understand why – the batting conditions haven't been easy in any game and he's coming up against some good bowlers."

Ponting added:

"But I think if you just sit back and wait, and don't put pressure on great bowlers, they're going to get you out. We always used to say in teams that I played in that the better the bowler, the more risks you had to take as a batter, because you simply don't get bad balls."

Stokes' return to international cricket has not been ideal. He stayed away from the game for a few months after citing mental health fatigue reasons. He has so far failed to make an impact in the on-going Ashes series.

Rick Ponting wants England to let Ben Stokes play his natural game

Stokes has been handed the number five spot in England's batting order. It is a crucial position and has put a lot of responsibility on him. Ponting believes this pressure might be acting as a burden on Stokes, who is struggling to play his natural game.

Ponting, however, does not want Stokes to be demoted down the order. The former Australian captain believes the English all-rounder just needs the chips taken off his shoulder so he can score freely.

"He's probably going into the game knowing that it's so important that he scores runs in that number five slot that he might be trying a little bit too hard," said Ponting. "The bottom line with it is that technically he might be their second-best player, so you can't keep pushing him down the list when you're batting guys with inferior techniques ahead of him,"

England have not had an ideal start to their second innings in the ongoing 3rd Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. They are reeling at 31/4 on stumps on Day 2. They still trail Australia by 51 runs.