*Official* Match 40 - Australia v Pakistan

[Bun]

I wonder what Ponting needs to do to regain form.. I think he needs a true, bouncy track like Perth or Brisbane rather than these slow subcontinent wickets.

Going by what he has done on such tracks in the last few years, am doubtful regarding those. I was expecting him to come good against Can or Ken or Zim. Sadly the decline is terminal.

 

[Jono]

This reminds me of those 'Endulkar' sort of articles that were around everywhere a few years ago and from there SRT certainly went onto make all his doubters eat their words, stuff like this has been written about many great players and usually they have gone onto prove them wrong.

Ponting is hitting the ball well enough but like I said during the Ashes he just seems to be trying too hard, he needs to calm down a bit and just look to back his skills. I mean just a month ago someone like Clarke couldn't buy a run and similar things were being said about him but he has turned that around to a large extent by backing his skills, so there ain't no reason why Ponting can't do the same.

Firstly, Sachin wasn't captain. Secondly, Sachin was around 33-34, so it seemed a bit odd for those articles to pop up.

Ponting is turning 37 this year.

 

[Spark]

And also I don't think Tendulkar was averaging in the 20s and striking in the 60s (!!!!) for extended periods of time.

I mean, I thought it was possible too but having watched him bat a few times now I'm firmly in the Nnanden school of thought wrt Ponting. He's struggling to get it off the square at times.

 

[Bun]

This reminds me of those 'Endulkar' sort of articles that were around everywhere a few years ago and from there SRT certainly went onto make all his doubters eat their words, stuff like this has been written about many great players and usually they have gone onto prove them wrong.

Ponting is hitting the ball well enough but like I said during the Ashes he just seems to be trying too hard, he needs to calm down a bit and just look to back his skills. I mean just a month ago someone like Clarke couldn't buy a run and similar things were being said about him but he has turned that around to a large extent by backing his skills, so there ain't no reason why Ponting can't do the same.

SRT ain't Ponting. Just because SRT did it, Ponting may not do it. We have waited for 3 whole years for Ponting to come good, he hasn't. Instead he's continuing to slip. Make the same mistakes, and completely oblivious about adapting his game around. Ponting is fast becoming a burden on the Australian resources, something like a gas guzzling rusty Patton tank in a post modern army. He has surely earned those badges he wear, but he has sadly outlived his time imho.

(Having said all the above, I am looking forward to eating all these bytes when he creams a couple of hundreds in the knockouts and help Aussies to yet another WC)

 

[Spark]

Not saying to drop him for this WC ofc but I think that post-WC, we should move on.

 

[Blaze 18]

He was aiming for his balls..Poor catching again....

 

[Jono]

(Having said all the above, I am looking forward to eating all these bytes when he creams a couple of hundreds in the knockouts and help Aussies to yet another WC)

Haha yeah, Ponting will no doubt ton up against India (if that is the quarter final match) and make us eat our words.

 

[vcs]

Going by what he has done on such tracks in the last few years, am doubtful regarding those. I was expecting him to come good against Can or Ken or Zim. Sadly the decline is terminal.

I hope "facing the Indian attack" isn't the answer to the post you have quoted.

 

[smash84]

DWTA. When you have 30 runs to defend and your opposition has 6 wickets down and 14 overs to get those runs, you HAVE to bowl out your best bowler because there is no way that you're ever going to get in your full 50 overs. The match situation called for Lee to be bowled out.

The other thing is that Lee was put on for his 8th over from the opposite end that he'd been bowling from before, which was stupid. With 30 runs and 4 wickets to go, Tait and Lee should have been simply bowled out. They were our two main attacking options at the time and if the game got anywhere near the 44th over we had lost anyway.

Agreed. With 30 odd runs required and 4 wickets to go Lee should have been brought back. He was looking like a bowler who could take a wicket every over. Bad captaincy at that point in time.

He was aiming for his balls..Poor catching again....

SRT ain't Ponting. Just because SRT did it, Ponting may not do it. We have waited for 3 whole years for Ponting to come good, he hasn't. Instead he's continuing to slip. Make the same mistakes, and completely oblivious about adapting his game around. Ponting is fast becoming a burden on the Australian resources, something like a gas guzzling rusty Patton tank in a post modern army. He has surely earned those badges he wear, but he has sadly outlived his time imho.

(Having said all the above, I am looking forward to eating all these bytes when he creams a couple of hundreds in the knockouts and help Aussies to yet another WC)

This

 

[Spark]

Not having any catching men to Watson ie no slips, then putting a slip in for one ball after a balls goes through an invisible 1st slip, then taking it out, then having the exact same thing happen was pretty bad too. As was bowling Krezja for two overs without any catching men, with two balls popping up to an invisible short leg in the interim.

 

[smash84]

agreed

 

[Spark]

Plus, why didn't Smith bowl any overs? Or even Clarke?

 

[vcs]

Plus, why didn't Smith bowl any overs? Or even Clarke?

Umar Akmal was looking to go after the spinners.. so I can see why Ponting might have decided against it with a small total to defend. If it was a bigger target, he might have brought them on to try and buy his wicket but it probably wasn't worth the gamble yesterday.

 

[Spark]

It might have been a try though, even if for one over. It's not like Johnson or Tait were looking particularly threatening.

 

[vcs]

Tait was very poor.. but Johnson was beating Akmal's bat quite a few times with his awkward angle, and got the wicket of Shafiq.

Thought Krejza also bowled very well, without much luck.

 

[Furball]

Not saying to drop him for this WC ofc but I think that post-WC, we should move on.

Clarke should be appointed captain in both Tests and ODIs.

 

[pup11]

SRT ain't Ponting. Just because SRT did it, Ponting may not do it. We have waited for 3 whole years for Ponting to come good, he hasn't. Instead he's continuing to slip. Make the same mistakes, and completely oblivious about adapting his game around. Ponting is fast becoming a burden on the Australian resources, something like a gas guzzling rusty Patton tank in a post modern army. He has surely earned those badges he wear, but he has sadly outlived his time imho.

(Having said all the above, I am looking forward to eating all these bytes when he creams a couple of hundreds in the knockouts and help Aussies to yet another WC)

Ponting ain't SRT but he also ain't the worst bloke to pick up a cricket bat, is he..!?

The fact of the matter is every great player has gone through phases like these and Ponting is no exception, if the selectors wanted him to go then they should have done it sometime ago but taking pot-shots at him during a worldcup campaign is pretty unfair.

Lot of people are also making it sound as if Ponting is playing for some personal motives but that certainly ain't the case, the guy has had one injury after the other in the last 2 years yet he has played through the pain and discomfort just for his team.

So what I'm saying is the day Punter realises he doesn't have much to offer to the side, he himself would decide to call it a day.

Also eventhough his tactical acumen isn't going to win him any captaincy awards but the work he does behind the scenes goes a long way in building a successful side.
There have been

 

[vcs]

AWTA. Let him do his job in peace until the WC is finished, then he can hand over the reins of the ODI team to a long-term successor (probably Clarke). In Tests, he should keep the captaincy for at least one more series, and should be given at least until the next Australian summer to prove whether he still has it with the bat, IMO.

I think Australia's next Test series is in SL and that will be a tough assignment. The decision on the Test captaincy should depend on whether he can get a creditable result (a series draw or better).

 

[Spark]

It is worth remembering that the next ODI series after the WC is about 3 days after the final or something.

 

[Bun]

So what I'm saying is the day Punter realises he doesn't have much to offer to the side, he himself would decide to call it a day.

Really doubt he is that sort of a guy. I think he'd prefer being slain than commit a honor suicide on the battlefield.