- Darren Lehmann highlighted Root’s Ashes stats in Australia
- The English batsman has never scored a century on Australian soil
- Lehmann believes Root ‘not an all-time great’ like Steve Smith
Cricket great Darren Lehmann has declared that Joe Root is a “step below” Steve Smith because the decorated English batsman has never scored a Test century on Australian soil.
Lehmann, 54, said Root, who has played more than 12,000 Tests in his career, is a “great player, but not one of the greatest of all time”.
“He has played Ashes four times (in Australia) and he is yet to score a hundred,” the former Australian coach said in a commentary for the ABC during the first Test against India in Perth.
“He is a step below the likes of Steve Smith and (Virat) Kohli for that reason.”
Lehmann went on to point out that the likes of Smith, Kohli and Kiwi Kane Williamson have made centuries in different conditions against different nations.
‘Is he (Root) in that upper echelon?’ he added.
“He’s got three, maybe four attempts… David Warner is the same, he never scored a hundred in England.
“You have to win hundreds around the world (to be in that elite category).”
Cricket great Darren Lehmann has declared that Joe Root is a ‘step down’ from Steve Smith because the decorated English batsman has never scored a Test century on Australian soil.
Smith’s last hundred came in June last year against England at Lord’s, with ‘Smudge’ now on 23 innings without a century (pictured, after he was dismissed for a golden duck on the first day of the first Test at Perth).
Lehmann’s opinion of Joe Root was a source of debate among cricket fans in X (pictured is Root, after scoring 200 against Pakistan in October)
It comes after Smith struggled in the first Test at the Optus Stadium, with a golden duck and 17 in his two innings at the crease.
Smith’s last hundred came in June last year against England at Lord’s, and ‘Smudge’ is now 23 innings without a century.
Cricket fans at X also weighed in on Lehmann’s opinion on root.
“(Joe) literally runs an average batting lineup,” said one fan.
‘Has Joe Root not spent 500 days with a Test century like Smith or Kohli? He hasn’t averaged 30 for a considerable period.
‘He has obtained more than 12,000 tests with 35 centuries. If he surpasses (Indian great) Sachin (Tendulkar) in all-time Tests, will he still be behind Kohli & Smith?,” asked another.
A third chimed in: ‘Smith is finished as a player. Yes, it was imperious at one point, but that lasted five years at most.
‘I rate Kohli very highly, so I would put him close to Root, but Williamson has scored most of his runs at home and against smaller nations. Root is number one for me.’
Meanwhile, ahead of the second Test in Adelaide starting on December 6, retired Australian batsman David Warner offered some sound advice to the struggling elite.
‘They (Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne and Smith) need to get together, have a conversation, work it out amongst themselves… what can we do differently?’ How do we approach it?’ he said on Fox Cricket.
‘We saw Steve Smith adjust (in the second innings) without going too far.
“The torch will shine on them if they don’t score runs in the upcoming Test matches.”