Joe Root must improve his conversion rate to be considered England’s greatest ever batsman, according to Michael Vaughan and Graeme Swann.
England’s 27-year-old captain has already racked up over 5,000 runs in 64 Test matches but the frequency in which he has been dismissed after reaching 50 is becoming a frustration.
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Root has scored two half-centuries during the ongoing Ashes series but is yet to reach triple figures, while Australian counterpart Steve Smith has piled on the runs.
Asked whether Root’s relatively poor conversion rate will stop him from being viewed as England’s greatest batsman, Vaughan said: ‘Yes, unless he changes.
‘He’s a great player in terms of what we see. He’s probably our most special player in terms of playing all three formats very easily.
‘But he’ll know in his own mind [that he must improve]. Look at Steve Smith, when he gets to 50, half the time he goes on to get a hundred.
‘With his quality, Joe will want to improve that over the next few years.’
Swann also believes Root could be England’s most talented player due to his versatility and ability to adapt between Tests and limited-overs cricket.
But the former off-spinner reiterated his belief that Root should never have been handed the captaincy, instead allowed to concentrate on being the batsman in the world.
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‘It’s not good enough for a player of Joe’s ability,’ Swann told BT Sport. ‘Because of his ability to change between the formats, he could be our best player ever.
‘I’ve said all along I don’t think the captaincy suits him because it stops him from thinking just about batting. I don’t see why he couldn’t go through the roof like Steve Smith without the captaincy.’
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