Pontings Captaincy

[RUNVS]

He should have opened with McGrath and Gillespie then brought on Warne after about 12 overs.

He had that bowling lineup in 2005 and he still managed to lose the Ashes.

 

[Plugger35]

How many times do you reckon Ponting has played with his "mate" Doherty?

Probably not a lot, although I'd imagine he would be more familiar with him than he would be with someone like Beer who he has probably never seen before they picked him in the test squad.

 

[Jascave]

Ricky Ponting's behaviour towards umpires Dar and Hill is a sign that the end is closing fast on Ponting's captaincy career. It was clearly unacceptable the way he acted after the decision to give Kevin Pietersen not out off an inside edge on to Brad Haddin. Ponting should have accepted the decision and let the game go on.

 

[skipper kelly]

He had that bowling lineup in 2005 and he still managed to lose the Ashes.

geez..

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

The Doherty selection mystifies me. What in hell were the selectors thinking? These guys are supposed to be spending endless hours scanning the nation for players who have what it takes to succeed at International level. One wonders if they'd ever seen Doherty bowl because I've seen him several times and there was nothing to suggest he would trouble Test batsmen.

If they've selected him purely on Ponting's insistance then they need to do their jobs better. To pick him simply because Pietersen struggles more against left armers was just plain ridiculous. You need more tools than just being a leftie to succeed at Test level, and selectors should know that.

 

[sherb]

He had that bowling lineup in 2005 and he still managed to lose the Ashes.

Cue the "when Australia wins it is because of the players, when Australia loses it is because of Ponting" theory.

 

[Bianconerri]

When Australia loses Ponting the "player" is a major reason, due to his substandard form over the last 2 years, check out his average! if every player made what Punter averages, our total score every innings would be 160.....bowlers included

 

[glenferry23]

its been a dark test for us so far and today again was an embarrassing day for australian cricket with our captain acting like a spoilt brat...pathetic stuff all round and now let's see if ricky can hopefully back up his mouthing off today with some second innings runs

 

[Klyntonius]

Ricky's been my favourite player since he debuted so seeing his dimishing form recently hurts. His antics today were really disappointing and embarrassing. To make matters worse, along with the poor form of most of the incumbent test batsmen, the selectors have brought in out-of-form replacement batsmen into the mix as well. Couple that with the jekyll and hyde bowling lineup and it's not an easy time to be the Australian cricket captain.
I'd love to see Ponting move down the batting order and step down as captain, but who to fill both of those holes? Cam White would be a good captain but is he a test quality batsman and Khawaja is probably still a bit early to be thrust in at number 3.
Hopefully Ponting can fix the main thing in his direct control and make a big score in the second innings.

 

[CAS79]

Ricky Ponting's behaviour towards umpires Dar and Hill is a sign that the end is closing fast on Ponting's captaincy career. It was clearly unacceptable the way he acted after the decision to give Kevin Pietersen not out off an inside edge on to Brad Haddin. Ponting should have accepted the decision and let the game go on.

This I agree with.

There was a time Ponting's captaincy was getting results and it was never going to be an easy task captaining the team after losing so many great players and coming back to the pack.

But the state of mind of the captain and the team was visibly on display after the Dar decision and the referel backing up his decision. It's in disarray and every Captain has a time they need to retire or step down from the main job. I think it's time to retire for Ricky after Sydney.

 

[Total_Juddshanks]

He is simply unfit to continue to captain based on his nuff nuff display today.

It wasn't just that it was petulant, extraordinarily unsportsmanlike and embarassing, it was also just abysmally pointless and thickwitted.

What did he think was gong to happen? In the end, the video review is the video review, there is not even any psychological oneupmanship, Aleem Dar would have just been looking at him and thinking 'you complete ****wit, it isn't even my decision you are angry about.'

Basically, it made about as much sense as if he had stormed up to the commentary box and started yelling at Tony Grieg- the only thing it achieved was to put his complete psychological disintegration centre stage for the poms to laugh at.

If that is a sample of the kind of mindset which is responsible for steering our young players in the right direction, we really do have issues.

 

[xyakks]

Exit stage left, Ricky Ponting. This is what happens when you hold on to your spot in the Australian team. You lose the respect that it took an entire career to earn in the space of 12 months.

Clarke's interesting as well. His injury ravaged body is already falling apart. He's almost 30. I doubt he'll last much past 33 especially when his biggest assets, speed and reflexes, leave him.

Despite his form people need to relise this is Hussey's last hurrah also. It's high time that someone had the self respect to go out on a high note.

This core group is the worst we've had for decades. This is 3 out of the last 4 Ashes they've lost. They're as bad as the English players of the 90's, which is saying something!

Time to bite the bullet and put together a team for the future. Revamp the Selectors and get a coach who's not a lackey.

 

[Tazwegian]

Ricky's been my favourite player since he debuted so seeing his dimishing form recently hurts.

Dude, tell me about it. I have been following him since he played for Tassie against some England XI touring side at the NTCA ground when he was probably 17 or 18 years old (He and Di Venuto played beautifully and Tassie won ).

I feel like I have been kicked in the guts watching Punter play over the last year or so. His India tour was pretty good, but apart from that and his double hundred, it has all been a horror. Such a disappointment that I don't really want to watch cricket anymore. I just hope he can do a Mike Hussey. God knows he is good enough, but will he do it before the selectors get sick of him and cave to the Aussie public's call for his head?

 

[Tazwegian]

On the topic of Punter's captaincy, I don't think it is as bad as the commentators make out. He was criticised yesterday for not having a third slip in at times. But, the ball wasn't swinging, and Punter could see that. I don't remember a catchable ball going to where third slip would have been. So, I think it was a good call to try and build pressure by containing runs, especially since Aus are defending so few. I believe both Siddle's catches were in the outfield, Watson was at slip and Hussey at gulley. Punter had fielders in the right places, rotated his bowler's nicely, what more can he do? (besides not going mental at the umpires lol)

 

[Tazwegian]

People also forget that the 2005 Ashes was the ball tampering ashes. I don't think it should be counted against Punter seeing as how it was a close series.

 

[sherb]

People also forget that the 2005 Ashes was the ball tampering ashes. I don't think it should be counted against Punter seeing as how it was a close series.

For some reason Ponting seems to cop all the blame for the 2005 Ashes loss here.

People forget though that his batsmen in particular let him down in that series. The "world's best ever batsman/keeper" Gilchrist made less than 200 runs at 22 and batted like a donkey against Flintoff in particular. Hayden managed 180 odd runs in the first four tests, only scoring a century at the last gasp in the final test. Martyn couldn't even manage an average of 20 over five tests and Katich managed one less run (248) than Warne in exactly the same amount of innings (9). Only three batsmen - Ponting himself, Langer and last-gasp Hayden scored tons and only four (those three plus Clarke) made more than 300 runs.

With the bowlers, McGrath, Warne and Lee took 79 of the 100 English wickets between them. But McGrath was only able to play three tests and Lee's 20 wickets went at 40 runs apiece at over four an over. The three backup pace bowlers - Gillespie, Tait and Kasprowicz - took the grand total of 12 wickets between them at an average of well over 60.

Sure, the captain should wear some of the blame, but Ponting was let down badly by a number of his players in that series.

 

[Freo Big Fella]

He should have opened with McGrath and Gillespie then brought on Warne after about 12 overs.

The problem is he's still acting like he's got McGrath and Gillespie to open the bowling and Warne ready to come in after 12 overs.