The Ashes: 8216;Cook can be negative,boring and not very imaginative8217;

8220;When I8217;m asked my opinion I8217;ll tell you what I think and that is Alastair Cook needs to be more imaginative,8221; Warne said in comments published by British media on Monday.

8220;Alastair Cook can be negative,boring and not very imaginative,still win and be very happy.

8220;But I think if Australia play well and he continues to captain the way he does I think they are going to lose the series. I don8217;t think he can captain the side like that. I think he lets the game drift. He waits for the game to come to him. To me I don8217;t like that style of captaincy and when you8217;re playing against the best sides in the world under pressure it won8217;t hold up,8221; Warne said

Australia8217;s top test wicket-taker and second all-time behind Sri Lankan Murali Muralitharan,also took aim at England batsman Joe Root,saying the 22-year-old would be 8220;crucified8221; by Australia8217;s pace attack if asked to open his team8217;s batting.

8220;We know Root played well at Lord8217;s but I don8217;t think he is an opener because of his technique and I think Australia found him out,8221; Warne said of the Yorkshire batsman,who scored 180 in the second test at Lord8217;s.

8220;You can8217;t hang back like that and get stuck in the crease in Australia because of the pace of the wickets.

8220;He8217;s a good player of spinners and perfectly suited to number six,and in time he can go up to number four and be the main man there.

8220;It could be crucifying him if he has got to face Peter Siddle,Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris on fast and bouncy pitches 8211; he8217;s going to nick off a lot,8221; Warne added,referring to Australia8217;s three pacemen.

Warne also weighed into the controversy generated by Ricky Ponting8217;s autobiography,in which the former Australia skipper admitted concerns about Michael Clarke8217;s leadership qualities earlier in his career.

Ponting8217;s violation of cricket8217;s traditional 8220;keep it in the dressing room8221; rule has irked past players including former captain Mark Taylor,and Warne went into bat for his close friend Clarke.

8220;Maybe there was a bit of jealousy,because 8216;Pup8217; Clarke was batting so well and Ricky was not making any runs,8221; Warne said.

8220;To me,Michael8217;s very well-respected. The best captains keep stuff in the dressing room. No one ever finds out about it. That8217;s what good leaders are about. So to hear all this in a book is pretty ordinary.

Despite describing Ponting as a 8220;good guy8221;,Warne also slipped in a reminder of the Tasmanian8217;s Ashes record.

8220;I know he beats himself up mercilessly about being the only Australian captain ever to lose three Ashes,8221; he said.