It took Australia virtually no time to establish their dominance in the first Test of the 2021/22 Ashes series as the Australian bowling attack ran through the English batting line-up on the opening day of the series. 

Australia were the pre-series favourites to retain the urn and the events of the opening day at the Gabba would only solidify that belief among cricket fans and experts. With a disastrous start to the series, the Englishmen are set to face a lot of scrutiny. 

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell slammed England skipper Root and claimed he is not a good enough captain. Chappell asserted that Root lacks imagination which is important for a captain in Australian conditions. 

Talking to SportsDay, Chappell said, “I think he’s (Root) a very good batsman but he’s not much of a captain. He doesn’t have a great imagination and I think that’s important in Australia.”

Chappell claimed that newly appointed Australian skipper Pat Cummins has the ingredients to succeed in the role while claiming Ben Stokes should lead England instead of Root. 

“Pat Cummins will be a good captain, I think it will take him a while to get into the job but I think by the end of the series, I think Pat will be miles in front of Joe (Root) as a captain and if that’s the case, Australia will win pretty comfortably,” said Chappell. 

He added, “I think Stokes would be a good captain. Aggressive players don’t always make good captains but I think Stokes has a lot going for him. He has a great cricket brain, he’s a great batsman and bowler and don’t underestimate his fielding. I think he would be a good captain and Joe Root would do well to listen to him.”

Talking about the match, England were bowled out for just 147 runs on the first day before Rain forced an early closure of play on Wednesday. Australian skipper Cummins took a five-wicket haul on his captaincy debut.