Root the skipper of a sinking England ship

The pressure is weighing on the shoulders of young England captain Joe Root on what has become a disaster of an Ashes tour.

Joe Root

England's Joe Root leaves the WACA after being dismissed on the fourth day of the 3rd Ashes Test. (AAP)

England captain Joe Root must feel like he's at the helm of a sinking ship right now.

Root is on the verge of losing the Ashes in embarrassing fashion in the third Test at the WACA Ground, and his team faces upheaval in the coming months.

Opener Alastair Cook is horribly out of form, and must be battling to prolong his Test career.

Cook has now gone 10 innings without scoring a half-century - the longest drought of his glittering 50-Test career.

But it's the dwindling bowling stocks that are the most worrying for England.

Paceman Jimmy Anderson has been England's most potent bowler this series. But at 35 years of age, retirement is imminent.

Stuart Broad looks past his best, while the jury is out on Chris Woakes.

Spinner Moeen Ali has barely fired a shot all tour, and his spot must surely be in doubt now.

Five England bowlers conceded more than 100 runs during Australia's first innings at the WACA.

If getting pummelled on the field wasn't bad enough, England's off-field behaviour has heaped even more pressure on the side.

Star allrounder Ben Stokes is still facing a nervous wait to see if he will be charged by police after allegedly assaulting a man outside a Bristol nightclub in September.

His absence for the Ashes started the rot for England. The precedent of bad behaviour was set, and it has dogged the team ever since.

Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow continued the drama by bizarrely greeting West Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft with a headbutt, rather than a handshake, in a Perth night club.

Then, fringe international Ben Duckett wasted a beer by pouring it all over senior teammate Anderson, sparking another mini drama.

If England go on to lose the series 5-0, coach Trevor Bayliss might pay the price with his job.

Root is an absolute star - his Test average of 52.37 is testament to that.

But when he took over as Test captain from Cook in February, he inherited a side with plenty of flaws.

Those flaws have been horribly exposed this series and it's taken its toll on Root.

The 26-year-old produced a half-century in each of the first two Ashes Tests.

But in Perth, he made 20 and 14 on a dream WACA wicket that Australia's batsmen feasted on.

"Joe Root isn't far off-breaking point. He is demoralised this series," Australian bowling great Shane Warne told the Nine Network.

At tea on day four, England were 3-71 in their second innings - still trailing Australia by 188 runs.

It seems only rain can save England from defeat in the third Test at the WACA Ground.


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Source: AAP



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