"More pressure on Joe Root now than ever" - Ricky Ponting ahead of Ashes

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has said that Joe Root will face more pressure during the ongoing Ashes tour than ever before.

Root has been in stellar form for England ahead of the Ashes series, which begins on December 08. However, with a suspect top order, England are heavily reliant on Root. That is despite Ben Stokes returning for the five-Test tour Down Under.

Ponting said that Root would be under pressure during the series, despite his good form, as England have a 'fragile' top order. Speaking in a video released by cricket.com.au, Ponting said in this regard:

"I think there’s probably more pressure on him now than ever, because he hasn’t got the class of players around him that he has on other tours as well. I think they’ll probably say the same about us, but I think their top order looks pretty fragile to be honest."

"For Joe, no doubt, if the top order don’t get off to a good start early in the series, just more and more pressure mounts on him."

Joe Root's last tour Down Under did not end very well, with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins tormenting him.

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Ricky Ponting explains the technical change that has helped Joe Root find form

Joe Root has been in fabulous form this year, with brilliant series in Sri Lanka and India, followed by a great home series against India. Ponting went on to explain why the England captain has had a sudden improvement in performances. He said:

"In the last series, Pat and Josh, they were all over him. He was moving, trying to create time moving early, and when you move early as a batsman, sometimes you actually give yourself less time. That was something that I always battled as well, because I had quite a pronounced forward and across movement onto my front foot, and at the back end of my career, that was something I was always trying to delay."

"If you look at what Joe’s done now, he’s not moving as much and moving a little later, and by doing that he’s creating more time for himself. His pick-up is a lot better now, and in a better position when the ball is released, and he’s had an incredible 12 or 18 months."

He went on to add about Root:

"We’ve always known he’s been a classy player. He probably hasn’t played his best against Australia, but I would love to see what his record is against India, whether it’s in the UK or India, he seems to get runs against them all the time."

However, with Root's improved form, the pressure has also increased. Ponting said in this regard.

"He’s going to know when he turns up that Cummins and Hazlewood, they were all over him and he’s going to have to make sure that under that pressure, you can make all those trigger movements and make the right decisions."

"There’s no doubt as a captain and their best player, more and more pressure is going to come on him. I think those changes will stand up, but you’ve got to see those changes against the best. And if you look at the best bowling attacks in the world right now, then Hazlewood and Cummins will be probably two of the first names that anyone talks about."

The Ashes will get underway on December 08 at the Gabba in Brisbane. While Root is set to lead England, Australia will play their first series under the captaincy of Pat Cummins.