Batting has embarrassed Joe Root as captain: Michael Vaughan

Melbourne: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has stated that the batting performance in the first two Ashes Tests has 'embarrassed' Joe Root the captain. He added England always talks about making changes, which shows that the team is struggling to do well.

England are in early danger of losing the Ashes ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Australia, after being thrashed in the first two Tests by nine wickets and 275 runs at Brisbane and Adelaide respectively.

"The batting has embarrassed Joe Root as captain. He is making decisions and gambling in every Test match because he does not know how many runs they will make. I feel for him in a way. To be a good Test team 10 of the side should pick itself unless you have injuries. But England are always talking about changes which is a sign the Test team are struggling," wrote Vaughan in his column for The Telegraph on Wednesday.

Vaughan further mentioned that the ongoing trip to Australia has given a reality check to England.

"This tour has been a reality check. England have not taken catches or scored enough runs because they are not good enough. There are no 'what-ifs'. They have to understand a lot has gone wrong, they are playing against a better team but should not be getting hammered the way they have been in the first two Tests.

"You want them to compete over a whole match, not just win a couple of sessions. So far batting, bowling, fielding, mentality and selection have been poor and the biggest frustration for me is we have seen this coming for a long time but the England team were blind to it."

Vaughan slammed the selection calls made in the first and second Tests.

"The selection for the first Test in Brisbane was poor and then for the second Test, when they knew it was going to be roasting hot, they didn't pick a spinner or anyone who could inject some pace. For example, Stuart Broad should have played in Brisbane. To not pick him to bowl the first ball to David Warner from around the wicket was blatant stupidity."

The 47-year-old signed off by saying England's highly predictable approach with the bat apart from the mindset has played a part in their poor run.

"This has happened before -- go back to the day-nighter in India where England picked three seamers on an absolute dust bowl -- but overall the thinking this year has been as bad as I can remember.

"For too long this England team have been predictable. You know there will be a partnership but then they will lose two or three in one go. That has been the case with the Test team for some time against the better sides."