Defeat could be making of Root: Hussey

Mike Hussey says England's failed Magellan Ashes campaign could be the making of Joe Root as Test skipper as the rookie captain again blew a golden opportunity with the bat on day three of the Boxing Day Test.

Root has endured the biggest Test of his fledgling captaincy career to date, with the urn surrendered before Christmas and his own batting form well below his normally high standards.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has been critical of Root's public reaction to the series loss, saying his response lacked conviction and that the 26-year-old "seemed to be dodging the questions" about how and why his side had surrendered the series so quickly.

In a campaign that has been dogged by off-field scandals, Hussey says the experience will only make Root a better captain in the future.

"I actually think he's done quite well because there's been a lot of distractions for England," Hussey told cricket.com.au.

"There's been the headbutting incident (involving Jonny Bairstow), the Ben Stokes saga playing out and there's been three losses in a row. He's been disappointed and he would have wanted to perform better as well.

"But he's come across quite level-headed, not wanting to panic, not wanting to make any rash decisions that other people around him (have), with fans and the media calling for a few heads.

"I think that's a good sign and I think a tour like this can really help his education as a skipper and it could be the making of him."

Hussey, known as Mr Cricket for his tireless work rate and dedication to training, said Root's disappointing series could not be blamed on a lack of effort.

"I was interested in one of his comments that maybe one of his faults has been that he's been trying too hard," he said.

"I can empathise with that because I put a lot of pressure on myself and sometimes tries too hard. Sometimes the harder you try, the worse you go."

Meanwhile, former England skipper Michael Vaughan says Root's poor conversion rate in Test cricket "is becoming a real issue" after the right-hander fell short of three figures at the MCG on Thursday.

Root top-edged a pull shot to be dismissed for 61 at the MCG, the 35th time he's been dismissed between 50 and 100 in his career. The right-hander is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in Test cricket, but his conversion rate of just 27 per cent is lagging well behind the world's best.

His Australian counterpart Steve Smith has a conversion rate of 50 per cent, while Indian duo Virat Kohli (57 per cent) and Cheteshwar Pujara (47 per cent) as well as Aussie opener David Warner (46 per cent) have a far superior conversion rate to Root.

It's a problem the England skipper is well aware of and it's long been a source of frustration.

"I’d be lying if said I wasn’t frustrated about it," he said in India late last year. "I’m not sure why it is. Maybe, I wouldn’t say over-confidence, but maybe I need to rein it in slightly. But if it’s a bad ball I want to hit it for four."

Most galling of all for Root would be the fact that the problem has only been exacerbated since those comments 12 months ago; he's passed 50 ten times in 2017, including three half-centuries in this series, but has converted just two of those scores into hundreds.

Hussey says simple lapses in concentration are to blame.

"I think the thing that will disappoint him the most is the fact that fifties and sixties don't win Test matches," he said.

"It's hundreds and turning them into big hundreds that have a significant say in how Test matches go.

"Most often batsmen make a mental error, they start thinking ahead or pre-meditating a bit and that's when you get yourself out.

"It's about 100 per cent attention to that next ball, whether that's your first ball or your 150th ball, it shouldn't matter."

Conversion Rates of ICC's Top 10 Ranked Test Batsmen

100s/50s (conversion percentage)

1. Steve Smith - 22/22 (50 per cent
2. Virat Kohli - 20/15 (57 per cent)
3. Cheteshwar Pujara - 14/16 (47 per cent)
4. Kane Williamson - 17/26 (40 per cent)
5. Joe Root - 13/35 (27 per cent)
6. David Warner - 21/25 (46 per cent)
7. Hashim Amla - 28/35 (44 per cent)
8. Azhar Ali - 14/27 (34 per cent)
9. Dinesh Chandimal - 10/15 (40 per cent)
10. Ross Taylor - 17/28 (38 per cent)

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test Australia won by an innings and 41 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21