Ritchie Slams Ponting, Buchanan

Speaking at a dinner in Adelaide last night, Greg Ritchie unleashed a barrage of criticism towards Australian captain Ricky Ponting and coach John Buchanan, claiming that the upcoming Ashes series was as good as lost with them at the helm.

Comparing them to legendary comedic duo “Abbott & Costello”, he stated that Ponting “doesnt know what’s going on on the field”, and that “what Buchanan knows about coaching, you could write on the back of a dinner plate.” He then went on to explain the reasoning behind his attack in no uncertain terms.

Three incidents in particular drew Ritchie’s anger: South Africa’s historic run chase earlier this year, the second Ashes test at Edgbaston, and the training sessions leading up to that test.

Speaking about the former, he claimed that had an Under-14 captain lost that game, he would be replaced next week, let alone the Australian captain.

Ritchie then added his name to the masses condemning Ponting’s decision to put England in at Edgbaston, before calling Buchanan a “buffoon” for making the players play rugby league in training before the game.

Arguably the most controversial remark of the night however, came when Ritchie, who earned 30 caps for Australia, claimed that “Australia would win the Ashes if Shane Warne was the captain.”