'I thought he would struggle in this series,' admits Aussie...
Sunday 23 August 2015 18:49, UK
Player of the Series Joe Root has grown in stature during the Ashes and will only get better and better, says Shane Warne.
Root, 24, was named England's Player of the Series after scoring 460 runs, including two centuries, and was awarded the Compton–Miller Medal for the Ashes Man of the Series.
The Yorkshire batsman struck a crucial 134 to rescue England on day one of the first Test and again frustrated Australia with 130 in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, after which he overtook Steve Smith to become the first English batsman to become No 1 in the Test rankings since 2002.
He also chipped in with four wickets and eight catches during the series and despite a double failure in the final Test at the Oval, Warne said he's impressed with the way Root has developed.
"Given the way he looked in Australia in 2013/14 I thought he'd be vulnerable in this series," said the former Australian leg-spinner.
"I thought there were some technique issues and I thought he would struggle against some quality bowling but Australia didn't bowl well enough.
"But fair play to Root for the way he has developed. He's grown in stature and got a lot more confidence in his own ability. He works hard on his weaknesses.
"These wickets were nipping around a lot so for him to show his technique and discipline was superb.
"Root's got this energy about him – you get drawn to him and what he's doing. He's a pleasure to watch and he's going to get better and better."
Root was dropped for the final Test of the 2013/14 series in Australia, which England lost 5-0, but returned with a crucial hundred in the first Test at Cardiff.
Dropped on nought by Brad Haddin, he struck a classy first-innings 134 to put England on track for a victory that set the tone for the series.
"When you play the first Test match of a series, it's really important to jab a few and try to land a knockout punch on the opposition to give them something to think about," reflected Warne.
"Australia thought 'we've beaten England 5-0 and we'll play aggressive and knock them over again'.
"Suddenly England matched that intensity and knocked Australia over and they then had to fight back."
Despite the immensity of Root's contribution to England's 3-2 series success, however, Warne and his fellow Sky Sports commentator Sir Ian Botham felt Stuart Broad deserved to take the plaudits.
All-rounder Broad produced a stunning opening spell on the first day at Trent Bridge to claim career-best figures of 8-15 as Australia were bundled out for 60, figures which helped him end up as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 21.
"Stuart Broad was the guy for me," added Warne. "I really think he has been the standout. It's the best series I've seen him bowl in over the last seven or eight years. He has been absolutely outstanding.
"He might not have taken wickets all the time, but he created pressure all the time and stood up when Jimmy Anderson got injured, and took 8-15."
Watch England's limited overs series against Australia live on Sky Sports Ashes - starting with a Twenty20 international at Cardiff from 2.30pm on August 31.
