Does Ponting own the game of cricket??

[Steulen]

Not Ponting

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

OK then, please show me where I have excused England's performances because we won the Ashes?

Dude I'm just screwing with you, we both know you haven't done that. I was just trying to see how you'd react.

 

[Buddhmaster]

Not Ponting

Were you raised in India, or are you just one of those creeps who goes for a country they aren't even from?

 

[Langeveldt]

You left out the 'g' on 'rand'...

I was using Rand because I don't think they have a currency in Zimbabwe any more?!

 

[honestbharani]

It really is no wonder that Ponting was victim of a nightclub brawl. The difference between Lara and Ponting's declarations was simple. Lara batted until mid Day 3 on a flatter pitch than Perth with a poor bowling attack giving himself two days to bowl a decent batting lineup twice. He could have declared much earlier if he hasn't got the runs "himself".

With Ponting neither side batted 120 overs in the first innings and the pitch wasn't as good for batting as in St Johns. South Africa were still adapting to the conditions and had to face McGrath and Warne who is at his very best. He declared so as to get "someone else" a significant milestone and to make sure they couldn't lose the match which might be a bit defensive but it's not stupid or selfish. The West Indies were never going to lose by the time they had 600 and didn't need to bat on.

Don't you think you are basically defending Lara here? On a pitch like that, there wasn't really much of a chance of a result, realistically speaking and almost all the commentators around agreed to that. The best chance of a win was to put England under some psychological pressure of a 700+ score and a world record. In fact, I still think that was the only reason they were in a bit of trouble in the first dig. That was a beauty to bat on. Some of us could have scored double figures there, against the Aussie bowling line up in fact.

 

[honestbharani]

Hey Indian dudes who like to bring up the Ashes.

Who beat you guys at home? Ya.

A better team. What about you, sir?

 

[Pratters]

The West Indies were never going to lose by the time they had 600 and didn't need to bat on.

Some of the lost Windies pride came back with that 400 not out. I doubt if a victory was possible on that flat track. And how much would it really mean compared to a 400 not out after the hammering and the series already lost.

It was one of the few ocassions on which an individual milestone was rightly more important than a win in a test for a team according to me. Obviously we disagree.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

A better team. What about you, sir?

I think Australia learned a valuable lesson during the Ashes.

Warne cannot defeat England.

 

[SJS]

See above post - I love watching him bat, but rather like a large number of footballers, there's just some unknown quality about him I don't like. Maybe it's the ears.

I know what you mean Barney. He used to irritate me once.

He kept shouting well bowled Warney even when the Indian batsmen were making him look very ordinary and that irritated me. He had this big toothless grin on all the time and that irritated me. He kept pelting our bowlers and treating them with contempt with strokes that seemed to defy all cricketing logic and that irritated me.

But I have come to love the guy. He is an incredible batsman. He is a very nice bloke. You have to listen to his interviews and it is so apparent. I am one of those who admires him for walking and doing it inspite of his team mates not being in agreement.

Just try and overlook the fact that we are not used to a wicket keeper batting more devastatingly than Viv Richards and you might start loving him too.

PS. I dont rate him very high as a keeper though, unlike most people. But then I ask myself if Richards could keep wickets like Gilchrist would I deny him a place in the world XI and I try not to argue with anyone who considers him first choice keeper in an all time team

 

[Jdz]

To be honest, I'm sure you'd all do anything to get your team to victory. And we all aren't jumping on Ponting for not declaring earilier because (1) The whole team agreed to wait till Hodge got his double (2) They had enough time to bowl them out.

 

[luckyeddie]

I like how you use the ashes as a defence, and also a weapon. You're a multi-dimensional man.

We 'urned' those bragging-rights ( ).

(and promptly threw them away again ).

Regarding Ricky Ponting being a whiner - sure he is, but really his problem is just one of diplomacy.

 

[social]

We 'urned' those bragging-rights ( ).

(and promptly threw them away again ).

Regarding Ricky Ponting being a whiner - sure he is, but really his problem is just one of diplomacy.

The problem being that he doesnt know how to spell it, define it or use it.

Mind you, I could forgive all that if he only knew what to do when he won the bloody toss.

 

[PY]

I was watching the Ashes highlights last night and I couldn't help but smile to myself when he put England in at Edgbaston and possibly evened things up in terms of mental edge.

 

[social]

I was watching the Ashes highlights last night and I couldn't help but smile to myself when he put England in at Edgbaston and possibly evened things up in terms of mental edge.

You know its a bad decision by an Aussie when it's sufficient to put a smile on a Pom's face during the dead of Winter.

BTW, why werent you watching highlights of the Pakistani series?

Or did you do that between courses?

 

[PY]

You know its a bad decision by an Aussie when it's sufficient to put a smile on a Pom's face during the dead of Winter.

BTW, why werent you watching highlights of the Pakistani series?

Or did you do that between courses?

They haven't been released yet.

I was only watching them because I was bored, don't worry I wasn't reliving old glory days just to boast about them, you seem very defensive there mate.

What do you mean by courses? Christmas isn't until 2 days time and I only finished working yesterday so haven't started festivities ie ramming my face full of lovely Christmassy food.

 

[social]

They haven't been released yet.

What do you mean by courses? Christmas isn't until 2 days time and I only finished working yesterday so haven't started festivities ie ramming my face full of lovely Christmassy food.

OK, if they had been released, I should have said "between pints."

 

[luckyeddie]

OK, if they had been released, I should have said "between pints."

There is no "between pints" - I prefer the Irish approach when you order your next when the current one has a couple of inches to go. Once people realise that, then you will never have to face that terrible embarrassment of having to turn offered drinks down again, or (even worse) saying 'I will just have a half'.

(having a few whiskeys lined up is the alcohol equivalent of a multiple orgasm)

 

[PY]

(having a few whiskeys lined up is the alcohol equivalent of a multiple orgasm)

That should read 'alcoholics' Eddie.

Good to see you back by the way.

 

[luckyeddie]

That should read 'alcoholics' Eddie.

Good to see you back by the way.

True - but in my case, the terms are synom.... simmonimmm... sirnobin... sminomern... surnamern.... surinam..... the same.

Yes, I needed a time-out.

 

[SJS]

I suddenly discovered something about Ponting - he doesnt just LOOK dumb