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Updated: Ricky Ponting’s little book of calm

Paul Colgan

by Paul Colgan

14 Oct 02:11pm

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Filed under: Cricket, Happiness, Optimism, Philosophy, Ricky Ponting, Sport, The Ashes

70 comments

(Update, Thursday): Ricky Ponting is at it again. The Australian captain is master of understating the negatives in a losing performance whilst always finding something good to say about his team. And today, here’s a headline from the Times of India - and OK, it is just a summary headline, but it encapsulates Ponting’s piercing analytical style. 

The cricket was fine except for the batting and bowling bits. Screengrab from the Times of India

For all his success as a batsman and captain the loss against India has seen the Aussies slide to an unconscionable fifth in the world rankings. Ponting’s leadership was publicly questioned during the game when Shane Warne tweeted: “How the hell can hauritz bowl to this field ?? Feeling for hauritz , terrible !! What are these tactics ? Sorry Ricky but what are you doing”. It’s not often this happens, but Warney was probably speaking for the whole country.

There’s more from Ponting here at Fox Sports. To be fair the skipper did say last night that the Australians have “got to be harsh on ourselves”. Though his preceding sentence was: “If I had’ve made 200 in the first innings, the result might have been different.” No kidding. The original column follows below.

***

The one certainty of this weekend’s second cricket Test between Australia and India is that regardless of the outcome Ricky Ponting will have something good to say at the end of it.

Ommmmm. Photo: AP

The Australian captain’s ability to find positives in defeat is as world-class as his batting. This week after failing to finish off India and losing by a wicket, he was glowing about the team’s performance. “We played a very good Test match,” he said. “we have done really well in a lot of areas and I am proud of the boys.”

Yeah, but the Aussies still lost a game which, on any objective assessment, they should have won. A look back at Ponting’s comments after defeats reveals this as a pattern. He sometimes sounds like the NASA engineers saying that on Challenger’s last flight everything went according to plan apart from the bit about the spaceship exploding.

Perhaps this ability to think positively has helped make Ponting into arguably the most successful cricketer in the game’s history. Being upbeat is as deeply ingrained in his approach to the game as his ability to pull a short ball over square leg to the boundary.

Let me show you what I mean.

At Edgbaston in 2005 England pipped Australia to level the Ashes series. It was the turning point in the tour and the Poms would go on to win the little urn. It was also the beginning of the end of Australian dominance in world cricket. Australia’s failure to win there should, by rights, haunt this team.

But asked about it last year before a return to the cauldron he was staggeringly chipper: “At the end of the day I don’t think we were that disappointed coming away from here last time. It was a great Test match and one in which, during the majority of the game we weren’t at our best but one in which we almost pulled what would have been one of the great Test wins ever.”

In late 2008 Australian cricket reached the lowest point of the modern era when it was deposed as the world’s No.1 team following a series defeat at home to South Africa. “A great era has ended” was how The Australian began its coverage on the front page. The Daily Telegraph in Sydney updated the famous obituary of English cricket with a graphic of a tombstone that read: “RIP Australian cricket: slaughtered by South Africa; aided and abetted by incompetent selectors, inept batting, impotent bowling, dreadful catching and poor captaincy.”

Ricky Ponting’s reaction was a masterful display of understatement: “It seems like everything we have touched lately has not worked out the way we would have liked it.”

After failing to win the first Ashes Test in Cardiff last year: “The way we fought was pleasing… We didn’t bowl our best on day one and we didn’t bat very well, either.”

Yes you can fight in cricket but the whole not bowling or batting well might prove a problem.

After losing two Twenty20 games to South Africa before a World Cup: “We did a lot better tonight, particularly with the ball… So to give some exposure to [debutants] is beneficial for us going into a World Cup campaign. They have been two pretty poor results but at the end of the day, the bigger picture is a World Cup.”

And what happened at that World Cup? The Aussies were knocked out in the first round! The captain’s thoughts: “I’d like to be able to tell you I knew what was going on,’’ he said. “That’s five international Twenty20 games we’ve lost in a row. That’s a bit of a worrying trend for our team and our group. I couldn’t have been happier with what we’ve done leading into the tournament, everything was spot-on. But when the big moments have come along we’ve just stumbled.”

After a loss to Bangladesh – Bangladesh! – in England in 2005: “That’s a bit of a worry - the No.1 ranked team in the world against Bangladesh, it’s reasonably worrying.”

“It’s just that when the games are coming around we’re not performing.”

Is this fair? No. Are the quotes selective? Yes.

But we are heading into a challenging few months of cricket, playing to regain The Ashes from an ascendant English side. Watch for the Australian captain’s search for the positives. If you’re an Australian fan it might at least be more enjoyable than the action on the field.

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70 comments

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    • Brad Donman says:

      05:23am | 08/10/10

      The Punter is a sportsman of the highest order, a dashing batsman,the best hooker and puller to have ever played the game. He can say whatever he likes,it maybe trite and meaningless,but I,ll go anywhere to watch him flay the bowling ,because we are surely going to miss him when he pulls up stumps.So let yer bat do the talking Ricky,and let the knockers do the walking.

      Reply

    • Weeny says:

      06:04am | 08/10/10

      Anybody who loses the ashes series twice, should be sacked as captain immediately.  Good batsman, bad captain.  Always loses the unlosable.
      Sack him as captain I say.

      Reply

    • Macca says:

      07:19am | 08/10/10

      except, despite his Ashes losses, he still has a Test winning record as captain equal to Waugh and greater than Taylor. Ponting has won series in India and whitewashed South Africa (post McGrath & Warne).

      Furthermore, there is nobody in the team who you could replace him with right now. That, for me, is far more troubling.

    • Chaos says:

      07:48am | 08/10/10

      Ponting has never captained a team to a win in India. He was injured for that series and Gilly was captain.

    • Justin says:

      08:00am | 08/10/10

      Macca,

      He hasn’t won a series in India. He was injured in 2004 & Gilchrist was captain for the first 3 matches where the series was won (was 2-0 after 3 tests). He came back for final test which Australia promptly lost, due, in the opinion of many, to his captaincy.

      If you believe the commentators he always seems to “answer his critics” with a great batting performance, but he doesn’t. No one criticizes his batting, they criticize his captaincy.

      If you had to replace Glen McGrath with Michael Kasprowicz half an hour before a test, would you put the opposition in? Like always, he had a fixed plan & even a massive change like that couldn’t make him deviate from that. The same happens on the field. He over bowls struggling bowlers, under bowls performing ones, keeps costly fielding positions for too long & generally shows no real feel for the flow of play.

      Great batsman, average (at best) captain. There’s no shame in that, but the powers that be should have realized that much earlier on.

    • Freeman says:

      08:16am | 08/10/10

      There was no shame in losing to the english side in 2005.
      just remember that bowling attack they had, hoggard, harmison, flintoff & Jones were all at their peak. and in then end it all came down to a couple of umpiring decisions that could have seen the ashes retained.

    • Macca says:

      08:20am | 08/10/10

      @Justin, apologies regarding the India thing with Gilly in charge, my mistake.

      However, who would you put in charge now?

    • Markus says:

      08:22am | 08/10/10

      He doesn’t have a winning record equal to Waugh.
      He has a 65% win rate to Waugh’s 72%, he just has (barely) more wins based on more Tests captained, a good handful of which being against a Pakistani team under fire for match fixing.

      He has to step aside as captain, and should have done so years ago.
      And if he isn’t willing to play under another captain, then it’s time to go.

      The big problem is the powers-that-be think Clarke is the next in line, even though he shares all of Ponting’s flaws as a leader…

    • acker says:

      08:53am | 08/10/10

      @Justin spot on..not only has Ponting ever won a series in India he has never won a test in India…I think any of the 10 other players in the side would be a better choice than Ponting as captain at the moment..I personally would give it to Simon Katich in an arrangement that he grooms Shane Watson to take over from him as captain in 18 months regardless of wether Katich continues as a batsman or not.

    • Scarneck says:

      09:31am | 08/10/10

      Well said Macca @ 07:10am, I would also argue that Ponting has less talented players than what Taylor and Waugh had available. As Brad Donman said earlier, I also would go anywhere to watch Ponting bat, he will be sorely missed, cos’ he IS our best batsmen and who in the team now would make a better captain?.

    • Justin says:

      09:31am | 08/10/10

      I’d throw Katich in for the time being, but we’ve got to this point due to a series of mistakes along the way. They refused to pick Warne due to past indiscretions & then after seemingly having Gilly as the heir apparent, overlooked him & went for Ponting who had no captaincy experience.

      I’d have no problem with Michael Clarke becoming captain now as he’s shown nous in T20 & One Day captaincy, but I wonder about the logic of earmarking him so far out. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets the Gilly treatment too.

      We could probably go in to general selection policy too, but that’s another issue. Both the captaincy & selection policy are relics of pre-IPL, dominant Aussie team times. There’s a level of arrogance in defending their mistakes that is starting to prove very costly.

    • Mike says:

      01:09pm | 08/10/10

      Agreed. His best days are well behind him. The tragic thing is he’s twice the batsman Steve Waugh ever was, but half the captain. Honestly, it’s a tragedy Shane Warne was never captain, neither of those ashes series would have been lost with him at the helm. And please, lets not just defer to Michael Clarke as captain in waiting, he’s soft as well.

    • MK says:

      03:37pm | 15/10/10

      Great Batsman, HORRIBLE Captain, at times
      makes you want to bash your head against a brick wall captain,


      it appears someone has finally pointed out to him, there is such a thing as an attacking field placement,
      you’d be forgivin based on his his past resume, he would have some violent allergic reaction if he was seen within 100 yard of anything remotely resembling an attacking field placement.

      Although first test, was not actually his worst,
      but then again,
      the whole we’re defending a low target and need wickets to win…
      lets stick with the bowlers who havent taken any wickets and dont look remotely likely to for a (eg Watson)
      for a long time for way too long

      Didnt see any of the second test so can’t pass judgement

    • Macca says:

      06:30am | 08/10/10

      I’ve always felt optimism was a great trait for leaders to have. However, what Punter is saying behind closed doors could be very different.

      In saying that, part of me thinks the team is so tight it is difficult for Ponting to perform that authoritiarian role that Waugh, Taylor, and classicly, Border played.

      I’d never call an Australian cricket team soft, the nature of the game just doesn’t warrent it. But (and I suspect Ponting might feel similarly) losses like this weeks Test Match seem to suggest the Aussies were well below their best. There are plenty of players performing below their best, and if they don’t step up, Steve Smith, Callum Ferguson and Usman Kawaja to get a go

      Reply

    • T.Chong says:

      06:50am | 08/10/10

      Paul , you actually slagging at Ponting for being positive ?
      You concede your quotes are selective, so you have also ommitted that Ponting readily acknowledges the ability of their opponents.
      This shows that Ponting is the epitome of the ideal Aussie - “The Good Sport”
      So good on Ponting. Long may he reign.
      BTW, if you are a cricket fan , you would be looking forward to The Ashes.
      I organised annual leave a year ago, in order to watch and attend 3 out 5 of the Tests.- ( J Howard being my cricket tragic father, like Tonys spiritual father - all sounds very Star Warsish)
      Bring on The Ashes, and another great series.May the best team win.

      Reply

    • MarK says:

      02:24pm | 14/10/10

      ” May the best team win.”

      WTF!!!

      Shhhh Chiongy stuff that. That means the smelly Poms will take em home.

      I hope the worst team wins so we have a chance.

    • John C says:

      06:54am | 08/10/10

      There is no doubt that Ponting is the best batsman we have produced since the war and he lays claim to being probably our best ever fieldsman. And the way he turned himself around after the bar incident is a tribute to his character.

      All that said, he is a woeful captain and lacks the feel for strategy and tactics and, I believe, inspiration, of his three predecessors. It is a shame that Warne did not become captain in Ponting’s place (and I understand the reasons for that). Under Warne, there is no way that we would have lost 2 Ashes series.

      The real problem is the dill that heads the selection panel and the other three dills that work with him.

      With the loss of 2 Ashes series, a lot of heads should have rolled.
      (

      Reply

    • T.Chong says:

      07:11am | 08/10/10

      Agree about Warney . Woulda been a great captain.
      As for selection - I reckon the team psyche is still reeling from the retirement of all the greats ,over the last couple of seasons.
      Give the younguns a chance.

    • Richard says:

      08:42am | 08/10/10

      There was a mystique about Warne, a type of charisma that just lent itself to captaincy. His understanding of the nuances and the ebb and flow and of a game was uncanny. I think it was no less than a crime, high treason even, that Warne was never installed to the captaincy, which was where he naturally belonged. Text messages and blonde bimbos aside, the selectors job is not to pass moral judgement on a player, but to put together the best possible cricket team Australia is capable of. In this regard, they failed us critically by refusing to use Warne as captain.

    • Freeman says:

      08:43am | 08/10/10

      John C,
      taylors and waughs ‘strategy’ was to bowl Macgrath and warne as much as they could against an opposition much weaker than the one ponting encountered in 2005. He’s not a bad captain and clarke or hussey will do no better.
      But, Warney would have been an awesome captain.

    • Badger says:

      12:31pm | 08/10/10

      The Punter is a great Cricketer, but I can’t understand him when he talks, it’s like a rapid fire cannon going off, if he would just slow down with his speaking, we maybe able to comprehend what he is on about.
      As for Warne, good spin bowler, but with the Morals of an Alley Cat, and should never have been considered as a Captain for Australia , would have to have moved his mind above his hips to warrant that position

    • Cynical Goat WA says:

      02:49pm | 08/10/10

      “There is no doubt he is the best batsman we have produced since the war….....” WTF????... Which war?? .....Afghanistan???....or Iraq???
      If you are seriously posting that he is this country’s best batsman in the last 65 years, then you John C. are deadset kidding yourself. There is a plethora of batsman who were 1) technically so far in advance of Ponting it’s not funny, 2) showed some real ticker in the first innings of a test, rather than getting an inordinate amount of his runs in the 2nd innings when the pressure is much less.
      Sure he’s the highest scorer for Australia in test cricket (only due to the enormous amount of cricket played nowadays), but quality and quantity are a mile apart.
      I do agree though that he is a woeful captain…..but somehow I think that Golden Boy Clarke is going to be even worse.  Here’s an idea…..how about a captain or prospective captain who doesn’t reside in New South Wales. There’s other states that have produced some fairly reasonable cricket brains over the years.
      Just a thought.

    • stephen says:

      11:05am | 09/10/10

      Good Captains come best from the batting crease.

    • IndianCricketFan says:

      05:18am | 11/10/10

      @Cynical Goat…... really funny bit about the wars….. I think he’s a great batsman… one of the best in the history of the game…. can’t say much about him as a captain but I feel Clarke will do way worse as a captain… he is a poor clone of Ponting…..

    • Gary Sinise says:

      04:11pm | 15/10/10

      @ Cynical Goat WA: “Here’s an idea…..how about a captain or prospective captain who doesn’t reside in New South Wales.”

      You do realise Ponting is Tasmanian?
      and Border’s from QLD?

    • steve parker says:

      07:07am | 08/10/10

      At least he’s not whining his way around the place like some of the athletes in Delhi.

      Reply

    • Laurie says:

      07:17am | 08/10/10

      It wouldnt hurt the team if Ponting got a few runs. In recent years the bowlers have had to rescue the team after very poor second innings batting performances including constant failures by Ponting, Clark and Hussy and North. As a batsman Ponting is extremely careless with his skied leg side shots and crabbing across the wickets for many LBW decisions against him.
      Many of the losses can be put down to these batting failures. Often the team is in winning positions and with a few more runs could have won many of the games but for second innings batting failures of which Ponting and his senior batsmen are the prime causes. These senior batsmen are turning fans away as there is no expectation any more of rear guard actions by our batsman in second innings fights.
      They should just wake up to themselves and get out of their complacency. Each one has a job instead of hoping “someone” will come good.
      They are a huge disappointment. Its not captaincy , its batting ineptitude.

      Reply

    • Freeman says:

      08:23am | 08/10/10

      Spot on,
      I wonder what toll this batting above their weight takes on our quiks.
      Ponting is still the stand out batter though despite falling short of 100 in many recent innings. He just can’t seem to get to that magic 40 centeries. IMO Australia persists too long will unperforming batters such as Damien Martyn but drops bowlers at the first sign of poor form.

    • Jim says:

      07:54am | 08/10/10

      No offence Paul, but would you people in the media make up your minds? At the height of the Warne/McGrath years when we were untouchable - even our tail enders were able to get double centuries - you all shifted from the “we are the champions” bandwagon to the “yeah, but it’s no good for the game” wagon.
      Now that we’ve come back to the field you’re screaming for peoples heads?

      Reply

    • Arnold Layne says:

      10:49am | 08/10/10

      Ummmm, does anyone realise this is a comedy piece?

    • T.Chong says:

      11:04am | 08/10/10

      Arnold Layne , taking time out from strange hobbies?
      This Arney , is about cricket, more than a game, its a moral code, and a way of life.

    • Arnold Layne says:

      03:41pm | 08/10/10

      No need to tell me about cricket Chongy, I live and breathe it.  I’m just pointing out that most posts seem to be ignoring the basic premise of Colgo’s piece, which was a humorous look at Punter’s Pythonesque look at the bright side of life even when we’re rolled by Bangladesh.

      Right, now it’s back to collecting clothes.

    • Jim says:

      08:14am | 09/10/10

      I saw that, Arnold, before I posted above. The headlines Paul has quoted though are what I was talking about.

    • Sammy says:

      07:59am | 08/10/10

      If Punter hadn’t vetoed Brad Hodge’s career, Australia might have a viable middle order—something more important now tha it’s obvious Ricky’s in decline. It seems Marcus North only has to worry if he makes a double century. But let’s face it, it’s not all Punter’s fault—after all the selectors keep giving him the NSW Second XI. How angry must the Shield players across the nation be?

      Reply

    • Markus says:

      09:29am | 08/10/10

      I also find it ridiculous that our so called ‘spin’ academies refuse to teach kids how to bowl the doosra, and even fired the one Aussie spinner who could do it.
      Then people wonder why we:
      - have not had a decent spinner since Warnie
      - cannot win on the sub-continent

    • Steve Putnam says:

      04:24pm | 10/10/10

      Funny that. I was wondering what happened to Brad Hodge when I saw him batting on Friday night in a 50 over game. He still looked the part…good defense…busy but not an out & out dasher…and most importantly he obviously has a good temperament. He could be the missing link in the middle order.

    • AFR says:

      08:22am | 08/10/10

      Perhaps he should chat with Sachin Tendulkar - that guy just keeps getting better.

      Reply

    • Freeman says:

      08:27am | 08/10/10

      “Yeah, but the Aussies still lost a game which, on any objective assessment, they should have won”

      Beating India in India is never a ‘given’ Colgo. Because of our dominance during the Warne and McGrath Era, many Australian’s have forgotten what it’s like to have competetion and expect Australia to win all day every day.

      Reply

    • Laurie says:

      08:59am | 08/10/10

      Not sure how NSW second eleven relates to Ponting, North and Hussey but putting other batsmen in to prop up the incompetence of Pontin, North and Hussey doesnt change anything. Regarless of whether they are captains, long serving or selectors pets they need to get runs. The have failed for too long. Blame the obvious. how many players have lost their spots because these three dont get enough runs.

      Reply

    • Laurie says:

      09:01am | 08/10/10

      Not sure how NSW second eleven relates to Ponting, North and Hussey but putting other batsmen in to prop up the incompetence of Pontin, North and Hussey doesnt change anything. Regarless of whether they are captains, long serving or selectors pets they need to get runs. The have failed for too long. Blame the obvious. how many players have lost their spots because these three dont get enough runs.

      Reply

    • sheedy's left foot says:

      09:16am | 08/10/10

      As someone who will be cheering on England in Brisbane in a months tis, it staggers me whenever Ponting is criticised.

      I have had the misfortune to watch Australian teams flog us mercilessly for more yeasts than I can remember and the best bat I have ever seen in a baggy green is Punter. Waugh, boon, Taylor, slater, Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist, border were all champions but none come close to Punter in terms of grit, fight and the ability to take apart an attack after battling through a tough period.

      Only the little master is a better player in recent years. I would have him ahead of Lara too as he plays for his team, Lara never did.

      His captaincy is also questioned unfairly. I can’t believe people criticise him for having it easy due to great players playing with him, and whilst losing the ashes twice is obviously going to disappoint both series were some of the best cricket ever played.

      Anyway if you lot don’t want him, he can come and bat 3 for England. We don’t mind who we have wink

      Reply

    • Markus says:

      09:49am | 08/10/10

      It’s not his batting that is being criticised. As everyone says about the guy: great batsman, average captain.

      Perhaps we were just spoiled by Waugh (arguably the best captain Australia has ever had), but Ponting just doesn’t seem to have that ability to change a game plan when required, or be able to kick the butts of players when they clearly need it (this could also be the ACB’s fault though).

      For the short-term, I think Katich would be much better in both aspects.

    • Macca says:

      09:53am | 08/10/10

      @Sheedy’s left foot, I feel the same when I see Indians bag VVS Laxman and, to a greater extent, South Africans Graeme Smith. Sometimes the expectations are so ridiculously inflamed you just can’t win.

      Despite so many things going against the Aussies in 2005, they only lost the series by a few runs, despite Flintoff and Pietersen at their destructive best.

      I’d have Langer up their for real grit as well, but the fact Sachin is still going is just increadible

    • Macca says:

      10:53am | 08/10/10

      @Markus, I always though Tubby was a far better Captain than Waugh. Waugh just had a far superior team

      I would consider Katich in the role, but not sure how the dressing room / Ponting and Clarke would go with it

    • Markus says:

      01:22pm | 08/10/10

      Funny you mention Clarke, as he is my prime candidate for a swift kick up the butt by the captain.
      His form in all forms of the game has been unimpressive since the whole Lara Bingle fiasco anyway (why is he still T20 captain?), so I don’t think anyone will care too much whether he appreciates it or not.

    • Sheedy's Left Foot says:

      03:32pm | 08/10/10

      In terms of an an non-Australian’s view of captains, who I have admired and loathed in equal measure wink
      1. Border - He built the dynasty
      2. Waugh - lead by example and got it right most of the time, but has possibly the greatest team ever at his disposal.
      3. Taylor - Just shaded by Waugh but not much in it.
      4. Ponting - Agree he has his tactical limitations, but has in recent years a team to work with that has lacked the class of attack of the past. His plan B is sometimes a problem as often there is noone to go to. The other captains always had one or two superstars to guarantee wickets. He would be top rates amongst any other nation.

      As for Clarke, please, please, please make him Captain. he just really hasn’t got the brain for it and doesn’t seem to handle the pressure that well.

      Anyway, bring on the Ashes, the greatest sporting contest there is by far.

    • RobJ says:

      10:11am | 08/10/10

      Isn’t Ponting the most succesful test cricket captain EVER, in the whole world?? And one of the best batsmen ever, an awesome fielder too. I believe he can also bowl but really hasn’t needed to considering the calibre of the Aussie attack over the years.

      On a personal level he’s matured massively in the last few years. I wasn’t a fan originally, I am now.

      Reply

    • Rev says:

      10:32am | 08/10/10

      I agree RobJ - unlike Waugh, who had one of the greatest XIs in history at his disposal, Ponting has overseen a transitional phase in Australian cricket.

      Of course he isn’t the most tactically adept captain, and neither was Waugh.  Both of them had the ability to throw the ball to McGrath or Warne and hey, presto, the match was wrapped up - no thinking required.  Now two of the greatest bowlers of all time have moved on, and we just need to get on with it.

      The way Ponting has stood in front of his team and taken all the criticism is Border-esque in my opinion.  Whilst the current nadir isn’t even close to the 80s, the team needs someone who will take the brunt of the crap journos and the public dish out.

      It would be have been nice if you could have acknowledged the effort that Laxman and Sharma (in particular) put in to win the Test for India.  Or the fact that nearly defending a bit over 200 on a relatively benign pitch wasn’t too bad.  Guess I sound like Ponting though, eh?

    • Gerard says:

      06:31pm | 08/10/10

      Border-esque, Rev? Did you actually read the quotes in the article (or watch Ponting at a press conference)? Border didn’t get up in front of the cameras after an error-filled performance and claim that his team did well (or, in today’s language, “look for positives”). If they didn’t perform, he said that they didn’t perform, and even threatened to resign if the team continued to get the fundamentals wrong. Ponting would be congratulating the navigators at Gallipoli for a job well done given half a chance.

      One thing that seems strange about Ponting though: I don’t understand how he can be so bright and cheerful when talking to the media, but spend most of his time on the field whinging to the umpires?

    • Rev says:

      10:46am | 08/10/10

      And as for the Ashes:

      Our openers are better, no argument.  Katich has been a bit scratchy of late, but Strauss and Cook are not looking good.  Nothing needs to be said about the rise of Watson.

      Ponting - is Ponting.  He’ll score runs.  Trott on the other hand is an interesting case.  Is rubbish when playing away from ‘home’ - which is why he was never selected for South Africa.  Failed miserably on their last tour there, and our pitches are closer to SA than Eng.

      Middle orders - both not looking good.  Pietersen and Collingwood woefully out of form.  Ditto Clarke and Hussey.  North continues to either score 0’s or 100’s - not what you want from a 6.  Morgan will probably be the standout for England…or Ireland…whatever.

      Assuming Haddin is fit, I actually think England will have a slightly better keeper in Prior, who has improved his glovework out of sight.  That said, they are both nowhere near the class of Jayawardene. 

      Swann wins the spin stakes, no contest, but Hauritz will pick up a few here and there.  On a raging turner, I’d actually favour the Australians with their superior backups.

      Fast bowling is no contest - Australia by a mile.  We are playing at home after all.  Anderson is absolutely useless when the clouds disappear - he should be selected based on the forecast.  Finn is untested against quality, and he goes for runs.  So I’m predecting a reasonable number of wickets at a +40 average.  Broad should do well with both bat and ball - provided he doesn’t have a sulk when ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’ blares out of the PA systems.  Johnson, Bollinger, and Hilfenhaus will own this lot over the summer.  Colgos apology Punch post will be the icing on the cake.

      Reply

    • RobJ says:

      11:12am | 08/10/10

      ““provided he doesn’t have a sulk when ‘Dude Looks Like A Lady’ blares out of the PA systems.”


      LOL

      Nice analysis Rev. I’m looking forward to the ashes and I hope for a close one, I honestly do not mind who wins, I just want to see great cricket.

    • Lorraine McNeair says:

      11:54am | 08/10/10

      All I can say in reply to your comments is that as well as being a first class cricketer, Ricky is also a first class captain - thence his remarks.  If he was critical of his players then you would have something else to say, I guess.

      Reply

    • TheBigMicka says:

      12:27pm | 08/10/10

      Why not be positive after a loss?  It probably sounds better than being totally honest - in which case he would say ‘we would’ve won, except I made some terribly ordinary decisions as captain’. 

      As a captain he’s one dimensional with no idea of when to attack and when to defend.  He loses vital moments in games because he doesn’t react in the moment, he reacts after the moment.

      The selectors also need to come under scrutiny.  Hussey?  North?  Why are they still in the team?  If North comes in at 4/350 expect a century.  If North comes in at 4/80, expect a duck.  Why are they hanging onto him?  For his spin?  Please.  Youth.  Look at India.  2 blokes injured so they bring in an 18 and a 20 year old.

      Punter, please give up the captaincy, drop yourself down the order and focus on runs.  Batting at 5, you just might still be around for the next Ashes in England.

      All that said, I’m looking forward to a great Summer of cricket.  Let’s hope I don’t spend it yelling at the TV!

      Reply

    • Jay says:

      01:05pm | 08/10/10

      Rick Ponting is doing cricket a disservice by playing on.Yes he is a great batsman and yes he will be missed but it is time to move on.Michael Clarke should be immediately dropped from the Test team and as 20/20 captain.He is pea heart and goes missing when Australia needs him. His most recent performance in India was shameful and unaustralian.Make Katich skipper and get some youth into the team.One thing I hate about Test cricket is the closed shop menatality except if your name is Brad Hodge.

      Reply

    • RobJ says:

      01:30pm | 08/10/10

      “unaustralian”

      Riiiight, didn’t he drink and gamble enough?

      Reply

    • Redcap says:

      03:19pm | 08/10/10

      I think the real point to debate here is the performance of the Australian selectors rather than that of individuals like Ponting. The selectors along with obvious poor individual selection decisions have failed to plan for the future and manage the transition from the era of the greats mentioned in the entries above. This is a basic skill of sports managment that Hughes, Boon, Cox and especially Hilditch are ill prepared to undertake. The appointment of Greg Chappell is the beginning of this much needed professionalisation. We need to move away from sinecures for past players with narrow skill sets (?) I would suggest that CA should be looking to appoint people of the calibre of Ric Charlesworth (current Australian Men’s Hockey Coach* and former WA Shield player) to broaden the perspective of the selection panel and develop a systematic approach to selection. This team should contain at a minimum Khawaja, Smith and Hughes to promote the interests of Australian cricket in the long term and not struggle along with North because they may need some experience in the future when Ponting, Katich and Hussey retire. There’s even an argument to move to models used in other sports where you have a Director and Coach arrangement with the former focussing on the broad interests of the team and the latter focussed on the managment of the particular team at the time.
      *Charlesworth rested senior players to test younger players in the recent Champions Trophy which Australia dominated. He commented that you don’t win gold in 2012 you win it in 2010 and 2011. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/08/2948531.htm

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      04:33pm | 14/10/10

      “This team should contain at a minimum Khawaja, Smith and Hughes to promote the interests of Australian cricket ...”

      Don’t you mean the interests of NSW cricket? Honestly, your bias is showing ...

    • Redcap says:

      06:07pm | 25/10/10

      Matt

      You must be from WA with a comment like that. I’m actually a proud Territorian so can claim complete independence (since Damien Martyn anyway, who was born in Darwin). Perhaps you could come up with some suggestions for the benefit of Australian cricket rather than resorting to petty state rivalries.

    • Justin says:

      02:22pm | 14/10/10

      Chickens, roost, etc.

      The biggest problem with this test is that North got a century & will keep himself afloat for a few more tests. Expect plenty of, “now’s not the time to panic” & “the boys deserve another shot at the poms”, type of pressure on the selectors. To be fair, it doesn’t take much pressure…..

      Reply

    • Richard says:

      03:25pm | 14/10/10

      No mate, you can’t just single one player out and build up a fantasy that the whole team would be that much better if only they were dropped. Doesn’t work like that.

      The whole team culture has to change. Ponting has presided over a precipitous drop from number 1 in the test rankings to a precarious number 5. He must wear the blame for this disgrace and step down as captain, although that precocious twerp Michael Clarke couldn’t do any better I reckon.

      Where’s a Warney or a Symmo when you need one, a laconic leader with personality and boldness? Give me a misbehaving lout with charisma and guts over a PC parent-pleaser to prevail in the fire-and-brimstone cauldron of the test cricket arena any day.

    • Frank Merlot says:

      03:26pm | 14/10/10

      Anyone who compares the majority of players under Pontings Captaincy in recent years with the calibre of players under Steve Waugh and to a certain extent Mark Taylor are seriously deluding themselves.
      Ponting is one of Australia’s best ever batsmen as his record shows but to put Australia’s cricketing woes down to his captaincy is pretty naive.  He may only be an average captain and not in the league of his predecessors but when you look at what Waugh and Taylor had to work with the old saying “you cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear” rings true.  As for him being overly positive, id much prefer an upbeat captain than a whinging, bemoaning leader the likes of which England had for a large part of the 1990’s.

      Reply

    • Shaking Head says:

      03:42pm | 14/10/10

      The Australian team are enjoying the benefits of better odds when they lose.

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      04:45pm | 14/10/10

      Poor Ricky . Someone had to be captain when Warne and McGrath retired and he drew the short straw. As a result, he gets to listen to every armchair Richie Benaud blathering about how they could captain Australia to a win every Test.

      Is Ricky a super captain? No. Is he a poor captain? No. He is an adequate captain leading a team that is not half as good as it used to be. The world has caught up, we have fallen back and that’s life. We would do better to shake up our moribund academy system that doesn’t bring through the new talent like it used to.

      It’s not like the cricket world is full of super captains anyway; I can’t think of too many other great Test captains floating around the world today. Dhoni’s no tactical genius, Strauss is a leader of men, but again not a tactician. Graeme Smith has never been accused of being a masterful, wily captain. A good captain is a useful thing to have, but they are rare birds.

      Ricky is perhaps one of our most misunderstood and least appreciated players ever - head and shoulders above any other Australian batsman I have seen, from Greg Chappell onwards. We will miss him when he is gone.

      Reply

    • S.L says:

      04:54pm | 14/10/10

      I’m sorry I know it sounds like the tall poppie syndrome but I can’t stand Ricky Ponting or his glamourpuss side kick the guy with the Aston Martin! Arrogance can only get you so far. I’m no student of the noble game of cricket but I know enough about the game and hear enough from commentators (not Warnie) to see where his tactics are going astray. One suggestion I have for poor Rick is to open his ears every now and then….....

      Reply

    • Callum says:

      05:41pm | 14/10/10

      Bring Back Gilly?

      Seriously, the 2 best batsmen in the middle order for australia are Paine and Haddin… can we play both of them?

      Reply

    • Howie says:

      08:31am | 15/10/10

      Ricky Ponting said this morning that Nathan Hauritz set the field he wanted, perhaps that’s the reason why Shane Warne has backed down this morning?

      Would you prefer a captain who says ‘we’re doomed, there’s no way out’?

      Reply

    • Richard says:

      10:44am | 15/10/10

      But to my mind, that’s the whole point Howie. Why doesn’t Ponting take control in the field and try to put pressure on the opposition instead of letting Hauritz set a pedestrian field and just sit back and wait for defeat?

      Let me explain~ Ponting is the greatest exponent of the ‘captain’s knock’ that I can ever remember watching. That is when he is truly at his finest as a captain: at the crease, defiantly making his stand and doing Australia proud.

      But in the field I just get the feeling he doesn’t have a clue what to do! He has no over-arching strategy; he doesn’t view it like a game of chess, where you always have to be thinking moves ahead and outfox the opponent; and most crucially, he doesn’t attack with the same aggression that McGrath and Warne used to bring to our game.

      How can we get our old killer instinct back? Everyone says the problem for us is where to find 20 wickets from, well… Why aren’t we even taking some risks with our field placements to trying and manufacture those wickets?

    • Steve says:

      09:07am | 15/10/10

      Cricket in Australia is struggling appeal to the younger generations.  The major footy codes have become more professional and well-marketed over the past 15-20 years and cricket has been left way down the pecking order. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, a talented athlete who was good at both cricket and one of the winter football codes would have had a difficult decision to make. Not anymore - the various football codes win hands down.

      Reply

    • Dave says:

      01:48pm | 15/10/10

      I remember a comment by Ian Chappell, who despite being a pain at times was a very good captain, he said you need to go in with plan A, B and C for every batsman and then be prepared to throw it all out the window and try anything to get a wicket.

      Ponting and the Australian team seem to have Plan A, but cannot create a plan B (or C, D or F for that matter) on the fly when the situation demands. Too much time sitting on a computer looking at videos and not enough trusting your instincts and reacting to conditions. I don’t know if they have become too reliant on pre-planning or just don’t have the nous, but when you have a batsman like Tendulkar smashing your plan A to pieces, it’s time to try something else…

      Reply

    • saad says:

      08:49am | 16/10/10

      I dont understand why u people are only focusing on negetives. have u forgotton the last two worlds cup and other invincible wins in the whole of seasons. Ponting is a self actualized person the master of his soul and he is leading a stupid side. But the best is still to come from ponting. hands up for ricky ponting. AND he will show once again that he is still the rite man for the job.

      Reply
 
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