Crowe Takes Shot at Aussies

Crowe said that Ponting and Gilchrist’s failure to take part in next week’s Chappell-Hadlee one day series, to be held in New Zealand just threee weeks before the World Cup, was akin to “Neil Armstrong telling NASA he’s sitting out the last two weeks of practice before the mission to the Moon”.

He described the decision as a product of arrogance and as a slight on the New Zealanders.

Crowe’s comments appear to ignore the fact that Ponting has been nursing a mild back injury through the latter part of the Australian summer; that Gilchrist’s wife is due to give birth during the series; and that Australia’s wicket keeper has played every Test match and ODI this summer without a rest.

The New Zealand reaction to the omission of Ponting and Gilchrist will be interesting, given that the New Zealand provincial rugby teams are currently resting all of their All Black players from the fist half of the super 14 competition ahead of Rugby’s World Cup later in the year.

Irrespective of the reasons for their omission and the reaction thereto, Ponting and Gilchrist will be sorely missed in New Zealand, particularly given the absence of Andrew Symonds through injury. Australia will do well to start favourites against the Black Caps on their own soil, in circumstances where the hosts will still be smarting from their failure to make the one-day finals in Australia.