England’s talismanic batting star Joe Root is cementing his status as one of the game’s greats, according to Australian legend Ricky Ponting.
Root scored a sensational 118* and a quickfire 46 in the first Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston.
And while Root’s runs weren’t quite enough to prevent England suffering a two-wicket loss, they were sufficient to send him to the top of the latest MRF Tyres ICC Test Batting Rankings.
“I don't think he's been underrated because I don't think he's actually probably fulfilled his full potential until the last two years,” Ponting said of Root on the latest ICC Review show.
“He's never scored a hundred in Australia, but his last two years I think he's made eight or nine hundreds, which has elevated him from being a very, very good player to one of the great players.
“I think now people are starting to understand just how good Joe Root is.”
Since the start of 2021, Root has scored a phenomenal 3345 Test runs in 34 matches, averaging 58.68 and scoring 13 of his 30 career Test centuries.
The England batter has been a dominant force in home conditions, but has also impressed on away tours, scoring tons in India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and West Indies.
He was also the top scorer in the last ICC World Test Championship cycle, and has started the 2023-25 cycle in similar form.
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And since passing on the England captaincy to Ben Stokes, Root has also showcased a more attacking side to his Test game, buying into the ‘Bazball’ mantra.
“I mean, the innings he played at Edgbaston was a sensational knock, full of class,” Ponting said.
“He's added some shots to his repertoire, which I didn't think he would be able to do. Reverse sweeping Pat Cummins’ first ball of a day in a Test match on the start of day four was something I didn't think I'd see.”
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Still just 32 years old, Root is one of just 11 players to have made 11000 Test runs and is just six runs shy of the top ten all-time run-scorers in Test history.
And he still has time left in his career to move further up that list.
Now free of the burden of captaincy, Ponting (second in that all-time list) believes that the remainder of Root’s career will see the Englishman cement his status as one the all-time greats.
“He's in total control of his game now. He's made over 11,000 runs – there's not many players in the history of the game that have done that.
“So, by the time he's finished, I'm sure he'll be recognised as one of the greats.”
Root moved to the top of the ICC Batting Rankings after his efforts at Edgbaston, with New Zealander Kane Williamson in second, four rating points back.
Four other players from the Ashes series are in the top seven of the rankings, all Australian – Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja.
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