''He managed to lose a few Ashes himself as a captain" - Jonathan Trott responds to Ricky Ponting's 'worst visiting team' remarks 

Former English batter Jonathan Trott has responded to ex-Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting's remarks on Joe Root's England side. Following England's third consecutive defeat in the ongoing Ashes, Ponting slammed the visiting side by tagging the group as 'the worst-performing team to tour Australia'.

While speaking to Sky Sports, Trott was asked to share his viewpoint on Ponting's comments. Trott, who has played against Ponting in the past, retorted by saying that Ponting himself had lost a few Ashes during his tenure as skipper of Australia.

The 40-year-old went on to state that the Australians throw around quotes whenever they play well. However, he also lauded the current Australian side, saying they deserve to be on top. Trott said:

"As far as Australian goes, when they get on top, they throw around a few quotes, like Glenn McGrath from previous years and tours. Ricky, he managed to lose a few Ashes himself as captain."

Trott added:

"So it's just one of those things. The Australian side have played really we under the circumstances and leading up to the series with not much preparation. They (Australia) fully deserve to be where they are at the moment."

Despite the abject performances, Trott believes the England squad contains the country's best. While acknowledging that the Poms do need some experience under their belt, the South African-born English cricketer said:

"I certainly think they've got the best players in England. They are, for sure, very talented young players but not with the experience of playing for England. With regards to the selection, they are the best players that England currently have and those are the guys that have got to improve and try to win games for England."

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"The balance needs to come back to 4-day cricket" - Jonathan Trott on the importance of the county circuit

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Trott, who has 127 international caps for the Three Lions, feels that the issues in England's county cricket has been neglected, with all the focus put on white-ball cricket.

With the English batters' mediocre showing in the ongoing Ashes, the country's domestic system has come under massive scrutiny. Speaking on the matter, Trott said:

"The county championship and 4-day cricket has been neglected with regards to the focus that was all put on white-ball cricket to win the 2019 World Cup. I just think the balance needs to come back to four-day cricket and I think the knock-on effect they will have on the test side will be massive."

The Warwickshire man also addressed the issue of having local pitches that favor bowlers. As a veteran of English cricket, Trott spoke about the need for batters to bat for longer periods of time. He concluded:

"Being able to get batters to back in the middle and learning the art of batting for long periods. I myself know first hand the pitches are naturally not batter-friendly, so you're almost in a one-day mode try to get as many as you can before you get a good delivery."

With two Ashes Tests still remaining in the series, the visitors will have nothing but pride to play for. The fourth encounter will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4.