Former New Zeland skipper Brendon McCullum has questioned Joe Root's ability to lead England throughout testing circumstances and strive in prolonged periods.
Root's credentials have been heavily scrutinised following the tourist's nine-wicket defeat to Australia in the opening Test of the Ashes series, with the England captain opting to bat first and perhaps costing his side a chance of an early victory in Brisbane.
Further tactics throughout the first Test also gauged unwanted attention on Root's position to lead England through the match, which saw the Poms all-out for 147 in the first innings.
The loss also saw Root's Test record continue to be starved of wins, having claimed just four across 13 Tests in 2021, despite the 30-year-old's record calendar year with the bat.
For McCullum, areas away from Root's time at the crease have seen growing concern cast over his position as captain of England.
“I think Joe Root is a wonderful guy and an outstanding cricketer," McCullum said on SEN. "They talk about him as a very good leader… I haven’t really seen it.
"To me, leadership is not only about making the right call at the right time tactically as a skipper. He’s not, to me, the best in the world at it. I think he allows games to drift at times.”
Despite their abysmal opening innings to the summer, England were able to fight back commendably before facing further capitulation in the form of a batting collapse on day four of the Gabba Test.
Failure to overcome inconsistencies have been a major critique of Root's ability to lead England in the eyes of McCullum.
“They had Australia on the ropes the other day, he allowed the game to drift. When you give Australia any chance to fight back they will," McCullum added.
“Sometimes not always the best players make the best leaders, and at the moment there is some sort of disconnect in the batting group.”
